


The secret closet

by CeramicMug



Category: Original Work
Genre: Disjointed, Do not try internet things in rl without sounding board, Gen, Hiatus, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I can't math so inconsistent length of chapters, No i dont know what i am doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-02-29 15:11:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 25,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18780799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeramicMug/pseuds/CeramicMug
Summary: Once, there was a scared person.But, they had a secret, one that made everything... a little less scary.A magic secret.





	1. Chapter 1

Everyone was yelling this evening.

Again.

I didn't like that. At least there wasn't guests over this time.

I think... I'll slip away tonight. Just to forget about it, if only for a little while.

First, I should get a towel and some scissors, and a spare set of clean clothes. Ooh, maybe I can nab a bath bomb as an offering.

You see, I have a secret.

There is a door in my room that no one else can see. It's right next to the bathroom door, too, but the insides are so much better. And if I lock the bathroom door too, no one asks why my hair was wet, they just assume I was in the bathroom, taking a bath. It gets slightly more complicated when my sister opens the bathrooms other door that goes into her bedroom and says I wasn't in there when I forget to lock that side, but nothing is perfect. (They always assume I just got my hair wet in my bedroom's sink area anyway, my secret closet is safe from investigation.)

Anyways, enough about my boring bathroom that everyone can see, I will tell you about the secret closet holding a better bathroom, the door that only I can see, and therefore is my secret, and I suppose its yours too now that I have told you about my closet.

Now that I have gathered my things, I will open the door to this secret closet and slowly describe the insides to you. Yanno, that suspense thing. However that works, Journal. ...will you grow eyes and legs and join me in the closet? No, yer made of paper and the closets full of water, please don't join me.

Okay, now the door. There is a peephole in it, so I can look out from the closet and make sure no one's in my bedroom when I am exiting it, and a cover I can swing over it from my bedroom if I don't want the closet's inhabitant(s) watching me. I flip the cover so it no longer blocks the peephole. I don't need to worry about any of my siblings messing with it since it's as invisible as the rest of the door, to them anyway. Lots of things are incomprehensible to them, like how I got my handprints painted on the roof. A bucket of paint and a ladder, maybe hanging off the eaves a little, what's so hard to understand about painting green handprints all along the edge of the roof when you have all the parts of the equation. I mean, I had to go all the way around the house if I wanted to make it back to the ladder instead of fall and go splat. My reputed _not fear_ of heights may or may not have confused the issue, but I won the bet and the dra- 

Wait, I need to go lock the side of the bathroom that connects to my sisters bedroom. It should be fine, she only uses the sink that is in her bedroom in the mornings and then she uses the toiletroom near the kitchen and it's sink after eating her morning meal. Hopefully. There's a reason I am glad she isn't in charge of the kitchen and diningroom. I'll be outta the closet in time to arrange some food in the morning for anyone bothered to to eat, probably. Everyone can manage with instant cereals if I get wrapped up in another witching hour bet that lasts past sunrise.

Anyway, back to the door. Already described it good enough for those who would never see it, lets open it. But first, I need to strip and arm myself with some scissors and a bath bomb. ...alright, clothes convincingly strewn all across my bedroom, bed unmade, sink dripping water, drawers partially open, and door to the hallway locked with my chair propped against the door in case _someone_ jimmies the lock.

Preparations complete, I open the secret closet's door with my foot and slide in with my pile of neatly folded clean clothes and a towel under my two armpits, and scissors and a bathbomb occupying my hands, then lean back against the door until it satisfactorily _clicks_ shut. I won't lock it, no point, I am the only one who can see it from that side and on this side I am the only one who would want to, or could, use it. No point in barring it only to have to fumble with it if I am in a hurry to reach my bedroom, or am running from something less friendly on this side, not that that's happened before but no point in risking it. It pays to be prepared!

Alrighty, now that I am in, I have one shelf and one hook on either side of the somehow narrow but not at all narrow closet. I put the bathbomb on top of the shelf and keep an eye on it, then put my clothes inside the shelf and put the towel over one of my arms. I grab the bath bomb, and I turn to the other side and angle my arm so that the towel lands on the hook and dangles without risk of falling. I yank on it with my teeth, it don't budge and I deem it secure. And that is the closet's entryway in a nutshell.

Now, with my armpits free I have some range of flexibility and turn away from the walls, in the opposite direction of the door. Now, Journal, you shall understand why my hair is wet whenever I exit the closet. The secret closet holds a strange section of upraised flooring, at first glance. At second glance, you realize there is some sort of rolling covering that opens on this upraised flooring, and that the non roller areas have a very long, scaly, dragon engraving that goes all around and you can't tell where it begins or ends and sometimes it looks like its moving but you know its a dragon since the dragon's head is positioned right where you open the rolling cover.

That's my buddy, the dragon I bet with. It guards the rolling cover to make sure nothing escapes. Imma offer it a bathbomb, as my token of appreciation. Course, I can't offer that until I open the roller and let dragon materialise, hovering over the raised area of the secret closets floor.

I place the scissors in my mouth, and the bathbomb in the indent on the carving of dragon's head, then reach over and with a great big huff push open the roller cover all at once so I don't have to push multiple times, then back off really fast as dragon swallows the bathbomb as it emerges from the carving and materialises, glowing orbs flying around it the same color as its crowning horns, that never stay the same color for more than ten minutes.

I spit the scissors outta my mouth and inta my non dominant hand, nonthreateningly holding it by the blades. I call out, **"Yo dragon, wassup!"** As usual, after opening the rolling cover in one go, my legs are sprawled on the floor and my dominant hand holds me up.

I get a _look_ from dragon, then it just swirls around higher up near the _not quite there_ ceiling and I stand up. Guess it liked the bathbomb and I don't have to do some ridiculous bet as payment for passage this night. Now, I look over the opened area, and _surprise Journal_ it looks like an enourmous jaccuzi or whatever it is rich folk use with like sprayers in the side for bubbles or whatever. That's why my hair is wet, to pass through I swim down to the bottom of the tub, to the bottom that isn't really there and then I am surfacing in my new _up_ , where the inhabitants of the secret closet that ain't dragon reside. That's a fancy word for live, by the way.

Now, dragon keeps guarding the roller thingy as an engraving so these guys don't get out for some reason, and as inane as dragon's bets can be it has to be keeping them out for _some reason_ , so I don't ever stay the day or for too long in the other _up_ at the bottom of the tub. Dragon's bets can be pretty stupid but usually they be funny and exciting and not directly harmful to me, so I trust it, as much as I do anything anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Our narrator takes a plunge into the pool? Tub? Jaccuzi? Pond? Something liquidy that is guarded by a dragon anyway.

...aaaah.

Alright. Swimming is interesting, but not as amazing as encountering the bottom of the tub that dragon guards and feeling that bottom become my new _up_.

Oh, right. Now the protection chant to make sure I don't stumble in some fairy ring while exploring.  
**"~the world flips _up_ side down, and I just come tumbling _after_!~"** You may or may not believe me, Journal, but if I don't do that I _could_ be replaced with a changeling. It happened once, and until I was able to make my way back everyone just thought I was sick. And, I make lots of mistakes but I try not to make the same ones twice if I can avoid it.

Alright, now that that's over with I can properly arm myself with my scissors instead of just gripping the bladeparts to make myself nonthreatening to dragon.

Hhhh? Journal, you think scissors are nonthreatening even when armed? How little you know, but you _are just a bunch of papers._ Which should make scissors _more threatening_ to you but what do I know? Nothing, which makes me understand everything more and be more openminded since I don't have too many preconceived notions that I _know things already and don't need to learn nor accept that I may be wrong._ Those are very dangerous, them preconceived notions, at the bottom of the tub, they cloud your thought processes and make everything and all persons _dangerous_.

Anyway, I will 'splain it to you. Scissors like mine are very dangerous, they are enchanted to be that way yanno. I have had bad encounters in the closet like when I got kidnapped by fae with a changeling sent in my place before, but also good ones where dragon helped me rescue myself since it did not like that a changeling escaped its guard on the tub. But dragon isn't my only friend, I know some trolls, some that like me and some that do not since every person is different, and they taught me a few enchants to do myself- that is, the trolls that like me.

The trolls that didn't also taught me some enchants but that was them trying to make me screw myself over by using unconfirmed magic if I trusted blindly. Luckily, I don't trust blindly and was able to sort out which enchants would help me and which would _not_ by bartering with dragon.

I don't understand why dragon thought it was such a riot for me to buy envelopes and glitter and scrawl addresses and names on every envelope filled with glitter and only glitter then mail the things. But, it guaranteed me that dragon would check and categorise any enchants and magics I learned in the tub before I use it, so I am happy. And I finally used that huge book of addresses in my house's kitchen, so it is happy at no longer being used as a doorstopper too!

So, Journal, I won't spoil the surprise but yes, the scissors _are dangerous_. Maybe not to dragon yet, but they may one day be dangerous to it and I don't want dragon to be resentful if I arm the things in its general direction and have dragon start messing with the enchant diagnostics that I get from dragon. Precautions are important, yanno.

Hm, so now that I have exited the tub of flipped world perspective in the secret closet and done a protective chant to avoid living with the fairies against my will, I should probably 'splain the surroundings for you. You don't have eyes yourself, Journal, so if you ever grow some it would be nice if you could recognize the area.

Alrighty, from right to left all panoramic... there are lots of trees. And brush, and scrub, and vines all surrounding the not quite as nice looking on this side tub's opening. The tub once down has been turned _up_ is basically an abandoned watering hole. Dragon's aura keeps away all the typical denizens you would find at a watering hole on this side so I don't really have to fight for water access with selkies or kappa or whoever.

I am often mistaken for a selkie though, just by the way, Journal. S'why I don't bother with a swimsuit, that would make every person who thought maybe I wasn't selkie decide I am absolutely not a selkie and then I would be dinner. So don't tell anyone I am human, I built a rep of being a selkie missing memories and looking for my pelt since I haven't quite figured out where it is or even if it was stolen. I am pretty sure the trolls I am friendly with think I am a _really not smart_ selkie who lost both memories and pelt, and that my pelt wasn't stolen at all since I feel minimal draw towards human dwellings and lack the desire to seduce any human. Those with that kind of opinions think it's funny I try to feed humans anyway on a daily basis in the hopes of finding my pelt and attempting to follow proper selkie protocol despite missing memories on what, exactly, is proper selkie protocol.

They taught me some arguably useless but ultimately harmless enchants as a joke. Well, the enchants were useless to the trolls, I for one greatly enjoy the enchant that turns glitter into oxygen, just to make an example. That enchant is not on my scissors, just by the way. They seem to enjoy my simple joy at what they consider useless enchants, and it helps convince those who doubted that I really am a selkie. Almost makes me feel bad for lying to them, but I never actually said I was an amnesiac selkie who lost my pelt, I just went along with their assumptions, and therefore am not actually lying to them.

Go figure, everyone on this side of the tub can tell I only tell direct lies at humans making me more trustworthy to these persons who are not human, somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Asking anyone who's read this far.~~   
>  ~~Should the title be 'the secret closet', 'the magic closet', or the third option, 'neither'~~
> 
>  
> 
> First come first serve, ~~however dragon bet suggestions are open indefinitely and I intend to have at least one mentioned each chapter.~~
> 
>  
> 
> ~~Please suggest something.~~


	3. Chapter 3

Journal, sorry for going all quiet on you.

You don't see since you haven't got any eyes, but I had noticed something in the underbrush.

That isn't normal. Nobody should be in the underbrush round these parts, since every person _ought_ to be scared away by dragon's aura.

Luckily, it was indeed some _thing_ and not some _one_. S'why I can still talk with you all relaxed like. I do wonder what fool was brave enough to come into this area and leave their belonging lying around like trash though.

 _Nobody_ litters near dragon's pond. It just isn't done. Yanno, unless ya are insanely strong and challenging dragon or picking a fight. I think maybe the wind blew the something over, from the looks of it the owner wouldn't be brave enough to approach dragon's pond.

Oh right, I should probably 'splain what the thing is. Yanno, before I get caught up in a fetch quest and am returning the thing to the owner for goodies or good rep. Yanno, good rep is an essential part of having safe bartering this side of the tub. Otherwise some person's will cheat ya since ya won't have a good enough rep to be _known_. 

It's always easy to cheat an unknown, and takes an abnormally large and honorable arrongant ego for some person not to cheat an unknown. Rep is important, if its good that means you done something to get good rep, and those that you helped to _get_ yer good rep would back you up in a pinch. Course, that is only to be used in a pinch, its kinda like a currency yanno. 

Overuse it then ya get bad rep and everyone will be actively encouraged to ruin ya since ya will be known as someone who gets on multiple person's good sides just to use them as a shield when times get tough. Or worse, ya could get a rep as someone who ingratiates themself to some group of persons then intentionally pisses off everyone else so you can hide behind the persons you were on the good side of and watch them crash and burn protecting you while giggling. That is a one hundred percent _change course and avoid current path_ since **bad end.** Journal, you don't want a bad end. Really, you need to trust me on this.

To avoid the bad end outside the closet sometimes I include myself as a victim of a prank I plan so no one realises I perpetuated the prank. Dragon is oddly inclined to picking prank like bets too, but that I include myself as a victim makes me get on dragon's good side, and ups my rep when it sees that I am clever enough not to get blame for my more mischevious acts.

Dragon is strange but sometimes easily amused. However, that isn't a negative quality in a person. Personally, I enjoy it.

I mean, for example from this one bet I didn't see any problem with 'misplacing' all of the clothes of all of the occupants of the dwelling where I had to join in a "family vacation". On a rainy day. Then I was lying to them by 'being so nervous about being naked and not having any clothes that I started a fire while cooking and everyone had to evacuate the dwelling while the fire department came and it was raining outside and we were all outside naked in the mud.' I didn't get caught, by the way. Also, the mud was amazing especially since we had to 'cover up somehow' when the fire department arrived.

That was a hoot. It was _hilarious._ And all the clothes were stored inside the secret closet too, so I could just hide the things instead of me doing something _utterly inane_ like burning the clothes out in the woods so no one would wear any. It was quite an operation to do it unnoticed. I never had to go on "family vacation" again, and now they are all worried about thieves and illuminated infiltration or something. The only good part of the "family vacation" was discovering that the secret closet travels with me when I transfer dwellings in the human realm.

That is also how I discovered there is a _price_ for leaving things in dragon's aura's area unwatched. And that _price_ is probably why no one is stupid enough to litter near dragon's pond. Fortunately, the extra amusing prank resulting from dragon's bet covered that price, but I am definitely not leaving anything unattended near dragon again.

If I didn't require the usage of the secret closet for storage in that bet I think that I coulda gained free passage from dragon for like, a week or even a _month_.

It was epic, in both mine and dragon's opinions, though that is no business of yours. What even is the purpose of clothes? Comfortable shelter for humans from the surrounding world's uncontrollable conditions, I think. Why then, is clothing worn indoors in dwellings with controlled conditions of human choosing, I wonder.

Anyways, back to the some _thing_ I spotted in the underbrush.

It was a huge nose hoop, decorated so that the round points at the curved ends of the round metal almost full circle look like eyeballs and hidden just enough that I thought it was a set of eyes staring at me from the underbrush. Obviously, that belongs to an Ōkubi.. maybe even one I know. It does look familiar...

Oh, Journal you are probably confused. An Ōkubi is a wimpy yokai that is really just a giant floating head that likes to scare humans and even persons who are not human as a joke. They fly around playing pranks and if you try and touch them for retaliation they can at will make their body the texture of... you are too young and pure for this information, Journal.

Just, don't touch one. You can get good rep with them by acting super scared as they harass you. Or act super unimpressed and prank them right back with a better scare and you can get a prankster teammate to harass person's together with. Ultimately, Ōkubi are harmless unless ya are super easy to scare then ya might get a heart attack.

This fetch quest is going to be super easy. My Ōkubi teammate isn't going to leave the area without its nose hoop, so I just need to watch the skies as I circle dragon's pond just outside where its aura radiates. To find that area, I can just use the sensor enchant on my scissors. Really, those trolls are super helpful with these 'useless' enchants I barter from them. And since I am getting useless stuff for any nonhuman person and they don't think I am human I am building good rep at the same time as all I am gaining these wicked enchants! Win-win, the trolls get the satisfaction of tricking some person and getting practicly free stuff from our barter and I get some enchants I would never be able to get otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It would be nice to be told about any mythical inaccuracies, but before any arguments start I would just like to say we can, in fact, talk and address inaccuracies without having a type heavy argument.
> 
> I would enjoy reading your thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator tracked down a fetch quest after a scare.

Whew. That was unexpected, Journal.

Anyway, while it turned out I _did_ know that Ōkubi it didn't stay to play but instead just flew off after giving me a random(?) enchant in exchange for its nose hoop and my fetch quest.

Normally when us two team up the local woodland persons get a scare or three, and I get a free lift to places far beyond where I could get on my own, although the downside of that is finding my way back to dragon's pond on my own as well as the _texture_ of Ōkubi.

But this time it just flew past like the breeze. Guess my Ōkubi pal really is quite scared of dragon. Sometimes I wonder about dragon, Ōkubi is a wimp but usually it would at least _attempt_ a jumpscare on me even if that Ōkubi wouldn't play and wasn't planning on lingering.

Welp, guess I get to walk now, Journal. Excersise is good for the soul, yanno. Ooh, maybe I can search the underbrush for some munchies. I put an enchant on my scissors so that they would vibrate if I was about to eat something poisonous, so you don't need to worry 'bout that, Journal!

And I don't have enchants for identifying other effects, but that's fine, surprise is the spice of life! One time I found a curly fruit that made me jump _really_ high instead of walk normally.

If I find it again, I can probably jump to a treetop then climb by swinging my arms and grabbing hold from branch to branch with my scissors in my mouth instead of having to crawl on the ground like I did last time when I didn't know the affect ahead of time.

Yeah, the curly fruit is not to be eaten in mountainous terrain. That's a _bad end_ ~ cuz if you get wrecked from a bad jump and get injured and crippled and start bleeding you'll be _dinner!_

My dear darling Journal, being some person's dinner is never a good idea. Just by the way, thought you would like to know. Also, avoid any person who speculates on your tastiness. I do what I can keeping you from termites, but there are those who would eat you, Journal, and I can't always protect you.

Ooh! I found a fruit! I haven't seen this one before. It's pink and corkscrew shaped, and came from under this pile of leaves at the base of this one tree that likes to leer at passerby.

Hm. I am going to put my scissors on my lap and mime eating it, just in case its a trap. I never got good vibes from the leering tree, and I wouldn't put it past it to plant something strange. 

My trusty scissors have vibrated, thus this pink corkscrew fruit is not good to eat, I keep an eye on the leering tree and rebury the fruit under the leaves as I hold my scissors in armed position and back away slowly. With my free hand, I gesture that I am watching the leering tree. It smirks, but I have already left the range of its root network.

I don't think I am traveling this path for a while. Reminds me of when I spiked the 2% milk gallon with caffeine as a bet, then steered clear of that person in my house who had decided to have four bowls of instant cereal with that spiked milk instead of the morning meal I had prepared which was an omelette, because they didn't like tumeric or something. There are some things you just avoid, yanno, for self preservation.

Events like that make me glad I learned the glitter to oxygen enchant. My brother of the incredibly caffeinated choco cereal got into my glitter collection and threw it _everywhere_ in huge handfuls. I had to cast that enchant for _weeks_. It was a riot. Sometimes I still feel like I can spot glitter in the corners of the house. Its definitely still in the carpet.

On the plus side, after _that_ my brother was then the prime suspect for the glitter-mail event making me uncatchable on that bet. Which means I can do it again. Maybe when my brother is away so he can be cleared of suspicion. My brother is annoying and fun to harass, but he shouldn't get the blame for _my pranks_ , that would be an affront to me, as an artist.

Maybe one day when the yelling gets particularly bad, I will redo the glitter-mail incident, but without dragon bet stakes. Hm, I could call my cousin and have her join me as an accomplice? Ooh~ 

But first, I need to secure me some munchies. I am in the left perpendicular direction away from the leering tree centred on dragon's pond, so I am unlikely to fall into any follow up traps linked with the bad pink corkscrew fruit. Journal, this is important because you should not run in the opposite direction of an avoided or triggered trap you escaped from, otherwise you are probably going to get even more entangled in the trap.

Afterall, spiderwebs do not only have one thread binding them together, and traps are also more complicated. Otherwise they would just be harrassment, not _traps._

Alright, I am scavenging and paying a little more attention to my surroundings this time. Nothing looks suspicious, but lots of person's have great camoflauge abilities so I can't take safety for granted outside dragon's aura.

Hm, can't take safety for granted inside dragon's aura either since dangerous things that trespass there are _more dangerous than usual_ or they wouldn't have the guts and bravery to enter dragon's aura. S'why I stopped everything and was on guard when I thought I had company near dragon's pond but kept on with business as usual with the leering trees trap.

Why, I was calm enough to put the trap back in place for some good rep with the leering tree, as a person reputed to be an amnesiac selkie who still possesses some discretion, even if I am not considered the smartest person around. 

Ah, I have found me a munchie I recognise. It's pink and blue, shaped like an orb, tastes like cotton candy and makes the eater light as a feather. Generally not to be eaten in extremely windy locales, or areas with lots of obstacles, like the forest. Fortunately, dragon's pond is not in the deep hidden areas of a forest, but on the outskirts of one instead. S'why there is lots of underbrush _and_ trees existing together. Deep forests usually only have moss and trees since the trees hog all the sunlight with their huge canopies leaving barely any scaps for other forest plants.

And that's not even mentioning the nasty trees that hog the sunlight _and_ kill the wildlife for munchies. The reason I fled perpendicularly left was that this way leads to the plains. Ah, the cotton candy fruit will let me float on the wind above the tall wildgrasses. My cover will be nonexistant but when I arm myself with my scissors I can fight from above, the high ground advantage is real. And I can also spot any predator type person's as they move through the tall grasses searching for dinner.

This means if I spot some person who already had their dinner I can chat them up and ask for scraps from what they don't eat, maybe do a barter. It also means I can avoid any person who is hungry and might want to make _me_ dinner.

If I catch a really strong breeze my only dangers would be the flying person's, and sometimes they are not dangers at all. Still better to avoid any person who hasn't eaten recently. And always avoid snake type persons, they will try to eat you even if they have already had dinner as some sort of nasty stockpile gig, Journal. 

Bear type persons are almost like that as well but they are really mellow in spring a little bit after when they are done with their hibernation and have a whole year to go before they need to stockpile again. Don't try to barter with them immediately after they wake up though, then you'll just be a morning meal after they have awoken from their long sleep. I mean, you could try to barter, but you would have to bring them a meal that is more appealing to them then you are, and make sure they don't eat that _and_ you.

Now, I am going to arm my scissors in my dominant hand, and prepare to eat the cotton candy fruit with my nondominant hand now that I have climbed the last tree before the forest outskirts turn into a plain of tall grasses. Yanno Journal, I can't just eat it immediately, I need to wait for a good gust of wind to carry me far from the forest, deep in the plains, and high enough to be worth climbing this tree with one hand available and my mouth full of metal.

Journal, d'ya think I can rock the three scissors style and be a bandit making like the wind? No? I didn't think so either, fingers are a bit of a necessity when using scissors, the things aren't just swords to slice with, yanno, my scissors are enchanted objects of incredible precision. And sometimes violence. Usually precision though, they aren't a _weapon._

Oh, that looks like a big gust. I'll ride it and glide, jumping from this tree after eating my munchie, and maybe barter with some persons from the sky.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time, a cottoncandy munchie was eaten that caused the consumer to be as light as a feather, and our narrator jumped off of a tree into a strong gust of wind.

That was exhilirating. And a stronger than anticipted gust that just kept gusting.

I think I spotted the legendary flying island. The one that hides in the high elevation Cumulonimbus clouds and I think it was haloed by the Cirrostratus nebulosus since it had its own light source that wasn't the sun. No, not just one light source... I think the island was inhabited by bioluminescent plants and denizens.

I wonder how much I could barter that information for?

Maybe I should hold it in reserve until I know more. Or find and collect fruits that make me biolumenescent or able to fly instead of just be light as a feather as the cotton candy fruit does. Obviously, being light as a feather isn't going to cover landing on that island since I barely glimpsed it this time.

On the plus side, I finally have a potential use for that one fruit I found that made me shine like a multicolored glo-stick. But where am I going to find a fruit with the fly effect? Maybe on a mountain? The future is brighter than ever before, Journal, because this time I am going to glow on purpose instead of accidentally advertising my position in the dark while I am hiding to those who would think of me as dinner.

Ah, I am losing elevation rapidly. The ground is approaching me at terminal velocity. ...guess I'll dive, so that I go faster and have some kind of manuevering capability. But first, scissors, meet your old friends teeth.

Oh Journal, ya don't have to be so worried. Special munchies effects don't wear off until a munchie with a new effect is consumed. Or I swim through dragon's pond. Dragon's aura just kind of wipes out measly fruits effects, and is most concentrated in its water. I know this because dragon had never even known munchies could have special effects and none grow within the area where dragons aura spreads, which means I can't barter with dragon about where to find munchies with particular effects.

So I am still feather light, and can catch _any_ breeze that comes my way instead of going _splat_.

Any second now, a breeze could change my course, and I am ready to manuever and ride the wind. Any seco-

There! The tall grasses are bowing to the wind, I need to get into that air current! Fortunately while diving I have built up speed! Now! 

Scissors, I hope you enjoyed your visit with teeth, its time to meet with my dominant hand again while I ride this breeze and scan the tall grasses for customers from above.

Ah! Customer spotted! A tough customer following a wimpy custo- no wait, that's a dinner game. Nondominant hand, meet tall grass clump and swing me away from this.

Reminds me of a bet with dragon I made a while back, so I will reminence as I make like a dandelion and float away in the breeze. Journal, sometimes dragon's bets are a little bit dangerous. Like when one time dragon's bet scroll unfurled and it was written that I would have passage that night on credit but when I returned in the morning I would have to leave my cosy human dwelling and go into the woods to perform a task to dragon's standards, although there was some flexibility depending on the availability of the quest goals.

Wanna hear what it was I did, Journal? Or is it better for me to tell you about the scroll's written standards decreed by dragon for our bet? Actually, I will just write the bet down inside you for you to look at in your leisure, Journal. Why didn't I think of this before.

#### 

You shalt find a cat and make yourself the master of this cat. This cat shalt not be a housecat, but this cat need not be a bigcat. You shalt find a wildcat, and make yourself its master, before the next witching hour but after you have returned from consistently earned passage through mine sacred water.

So, I did that, Journal. And now I have some interesting scars, but here beyond the water in my secret closet, those are the marks of a tough customer, or at least a survivor, so no one messes with me and they take me seriously.

Don't ask me what kind of wild cat it was. It was small, vicious, and I never saw it again after I entrapped it, sat on it, and declared to the small wild cat, **"I am the boss of you. You are not the boss of me. Stop squirmi-"** I am not a zoologist, so I don't know what it was called. But I won our fight, and bear my tough customer scars with pride.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator avoids thinking about what is happening in the area recently vacated by forcefully remembering a dragon bet word per word to escape from reality.

"Tra _lalala_ **tra** lalala, _wind_ take me _away~_ to a place I might not _stay~_ free as the breeze, I switch my direction, and _loopdeloop_ around **stubborn tendencies~** oh _wind, take me away~_ "

Journal, you may be wondering why I am murmuring this under my breath as I and my loyal scissors float along the air currents and agilely manuever with the aid of the tall grasses. There isn't a real reason. Unless you count my lingering suspicion that in this realm the wind is a person too.

Sometimes I feel like I can see the wind as a person, and I imagine I glimpsed them and their elven features through a hagstone. That's just a fancy word for a rock with a natural hole in it, by the way.

I temporarily acquired one once by the work of the river going up the mountainous areas of this realm once. That was a _fun_ river who was _not_ friends with gravity, the human realm doesn't really have any like it.

Anyway, I picked it up cuz the river I was making friends with washed it up to me in a game and claimed it was protective and would let me look at the true forms of fae whether they wanted me to or not. _River who was not friends with gravity_ , gravity river for short, did want me to look at its true form, just telling you as a by the way Journal. I was not intruding on gravity rivers privacy with something it gave me to borrow as a tool for a game, I have a reputation to uphold and I don't appreciate you doubting me like that. If I was going to invade gravity river's privacy without permission, I would not be doing it using something I received from gravity river. I have discretion, yanno.

Anyways, when I was scanning gravity river with the hagstone to play _spot the dodging fae_ , I accidentally looked through the wrong hole, understandable since this was a pretty large hagstone that I had to carry two handedly with my scissors spending quality time with my teeth as I enjoyed gravity rivers hospitality. And being such a large hagstone, its pretty natural for it to have multiple holes.

Most of the holes were pointed at the bulk of water that were gravity river's passengers, but some were pointed skyward and sometimes my eyes wandered. At first I wasn't sure whethor or not gravity river's fae form would be jumping in the air out of the bulk of its passenger water like a dolphin so I positioned it like so intentionally, but then I realized most of the action captured through the holes was going on in gravity river's flowing bulk of water it carried along for the ride up the mountain.

Now, I was concentrating on the bulk of water once I deduced that was how I could win the game and spot gravity river, but my eyes still strayed once I realised there was fleeting movement in the upper holes that remained skyward aimed as well. In hindsight, I think that was the wind's elven form teasing me and helping aid gravity river by interfering in our game. Or helping me. I couldn't tell what it was doing really, I get the feeling it was just messing around.

The wind might not even have realised it was distracting both me and gravity river. Well, all is well that ends well, the wind was so distracting we called our game a tied up match and marked each other equals. I wonder if gravity river is still in the same mountainous area, after all unlike boring human realm rivers it doesn't take decades to centuries of work for gravity river to change its locale and source and general flow patterns.

Anyway, that is irrelevant. That's a fancy nancy-pants word for unimportant, Journal. Ooh, speaking of nancies and pants I remember a bet from dragon. I had to dress up all fancy and prim and respectable, and go to a human realm official business-y party, and get a prissy lady who was all fancily dressed to willingly lift up her skirt so that I might examine her garter belt and how it connected to her stockings.

That was an _interesting_ bet, and not nearly as difficult as it sounds. You see, I was still rather younger and shorter and more childishly androgynous. All I had to do was ask a woman how she kept up her long socks without them rumpling and sliding down her legs. I just lifted up my cute little trouser legs to my knee and complained about how my short socks keep rumpling and would she _please teach me_ the secret art of having socks that stay on your leg without rumpling or sliding down or crinkling when you run down the hall.

She showed me the garterbelt dangling clips that attached to the tops of just about any long lady socks, and told me that her secret won't work on my short baby socks and that I should try folding them up and ironing them while folded if I was allowed to operate an iron with my mama and be grown up and responsible. Then she showed me how to fold up one of my socks and had me practice with the other until I got it _just right._

Then I got herded into the room designated for children and told not to be too loud in there since that would not be _responsible_ like she knows I am.

In hindsight, that was pretty dangerous. What if I had asked a creep? It was fun escaping the children's room since I didn't really have an attending adult and had just snuck the closest formal wear into my backpack and biked to the event center, changed into the formal wear, and bugged the ticket booth people until they decided maybe I was telling the truth about being too slow to follow my parents into the place of the event when I was there for what felt like forever in formal wear with still no adult by my side.

I wonder, what would the wind wear if forced into a fancy pants nancy formal event by dragon? Or is the wind more powerful than dragon? Dragon's pond doesn't have the wind blowing ripples on it and is always still, so maybe dragon is stronger? I know gravity river is weaker than the wind because the wind could distract gravity river by messing with its water surface enough that gravity river was constantly losing water droplet passengers every time the wind blew. That made a pretty mist, so I noticed and gravity river said something about how the rainbows attract watery passengers for the beauty but also repel watery passengers who don't want to be sacrificed to the wind to keep the river intact and make rainbows, even if it does get then transport up the mountain.

Nah, from the glimpses I got of wind, it probably would join me in climbing out the window, picking up my stashed bathroom stash of non formal clothes and backpack then biking _out, out and away._

No matter its power level or preferences, it can't hurt to make nice with the wind, Journal. I am fairly certain if the wind steals my breath _then_ I should stop talking or muttering or singing. From what I remember, wind seems pretty swell and is just my kind of mischevious. If the wind is a person anyway. Who knows, its fine if they are or are not, its only dangerous to _assume!_

Whoo~ I spy with my little eye something bright and bent and kinda screwy! What do you think it is, Journal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It would be nice to be told about any mythical inaccuracies, but before any arguments start I would just like to say we can, in fact, talk and address inaccuracies without having a verbal argument.
> 
> Also, this is a story so it doesn't strictly _have_ to be mythically accurate. Miyazaki isn't and most don't hound him.
> 
> I would enjoy reading your thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Our narrator attempts to engage you readers with an open ended question.
> 
> Unfortunately, our narrator is not yet convinced Journal is a person so answers it without waiting for Journal to answer.

**"It's the glo-stick fruit! I won't bother picking it since I don't need it right now, but maybe it'll still be there once I find myself a fruit to help me properly fly with the wind."**

Journal, I tell you this out loud because maybe the wind, while rustling through my hair is listening in on what I say. Words are powerful, it's why I don't speak aloud very frequently in this realm. You never know who might be listening.

Fortunately, thoughts are private. If they weren't I would never have kept up the amnesiac Selkie act. If you think I talk infrequently, you should know dragon has never spoken a word in my hearing since I first stumbled and sprawled onto the floor while opening up the rollery thing dragon guards and materialising it. It's always a magic scroll that unfurls with the bet of the day written in elegant script, or some form of non verbal communication like dragon giving me a _look_ or arranging its orbs into vague letter shapes.

The first time dragon did that I really did not understand since I hadn't known the language dragon was using. I had already bet passage through a few times so we had some familiarity with each other, although this was before I had gained my pair of companions you know so well, blade + and blade -, who combine together to make my trusty scissors.

So dragon, dragon blasted one of its omnipresent orbs at me. I was startled, but I didn't dodge since I thought those orbs were just made of light. It was a heavy impact, that was compacted liquid magic, not a simple light show. Fortunately, it was a blessing. Dragon didn't want to stumble through miscommunication, it seems. Dragon is surprisingly impatient. So I could understand that orb arranging language after gaining dragon's blessing. And all the other languages too, written or verbal, as long as they weren't human languages, but I didn't find those wrappings out until later.

It definitely helped convince the trolls I was an amnesiac Selkie who was slowly regaining memories when I could suddenly understand them when I could not before.

But don't worry, Journal. I will translate everything for you as I do~ you don't have eyes _or_ ears so it would be the height of _unreasonable_ to expect you to know this stuff aut _omatically_!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! 

Sorry about that, but now I think the wind is definitely a person. I mean, a freak gust just blew me up, up around like a whirligig, twisting out of reach of the tall grasses and now I can't even see the plains anymore and clouds are _cold, not fluffy_. Which I know because I went through _three_ in that windstorm centered around _me_ that affected nothing else in the plains of tall grasses _that I can't see anymore_.

#  Oh no, a cliff! 

...

Yikes. I am really glad this wind person likes to play pranks instead of play _splat the random person on an unexpected cliff!_

Oh right, you might want to know what happened, Journal. Right as my nose brushed the cliff, suddenly the winds direction changed launching me straight up instead of giving me anything worse than a scraped nose via cliff collision.

Then I just kind of floated in the wind's grasp at the top of that cliff I had never seen before, and started giggling uncontrollably since that ride was just so awesome and thrilling.

I may or may not have considered asking to do it again, but I have already confirmed the wind is a person and person's in this realm I access with my secret closet consider words of the utmost value.

So instead of asking again like some useless and rude questioner; you mustn't use questions here Journal that is _very rude_ and also kind of picking a fight; I twirled back into the wind by pushing my feet off of the ledge of the cliff I was hovered over, put my scissors in my mouth and dived headfirst off the cliff and returned into the wind's mercy.

Actions hold weight like words do, sometimes. And I think those actions matched well with my earlier claim of wanting to fly _with the wind_.

Oh Journal, I really hope you never grow a waterproof shell, arms, legs, and eyes and become a person. If you did, I would not be able to use any asking marks anymore when I'm with you.

Reminds me of a dragon bet. I was to talk to everyone in my human dwelling, who were all human, without any questions, or asking marks, or inquiries, for a week. I was to try and not use them in my thoughts too. That was an interesting experience. Also, I think they thought I was 'sick' again like they thought I was sick when the changeling replaced me and I got kidnapped by faeries.

It was kind of a miserable experience until I turned it into a game, then it was fun. I had imaginary stakes like being their dinner if I slipped up and made an asking mark vocal, and further stakes were if I thought no questions I would be lord of the dwelling. Of course, those were imagined stakes with no results in reality, but the adrenaline rush kept me going until the week passed.

All in all, a fairly good bet since while it was ongoing I was not obliged to complete any other bets to get witching hour passage in the tub beyond dragon's guard of its pond.

My improved politeness in this realm also added to the gradually regaining memories amnesiac Selkie rep. I think dragon is my friend. Or cultivating me up for some kind of magical sacrifice dinner. Can't really ask which, Journal, and its the height of impoliteness to ask a name from any person and only slightly less rude to demand a name.

Names have power.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Our narrator confirms a lingering suspicion that the wind is a person. However that works. And jumps off a cliff into the winds embrace.

**"Yeeehaaaaw!"**

Journal, I am riding the wind, not quite flying, but being flown around regardless of that at the whimsy of the wind. And it is amazing. 

My good friend scissors are securely fastened within the grasp of my teeth, so I can't really articulate more than a shout to convey my enjoyment and appreciation to wind.

It's always good to maintain your relationships, as well as keep your words and promises, here in this realm not heavily occupied by humans. I mean there probably are some, but they wouldn't _publically_ be human. Thats an easy way to advertise a free dinner to anyone interested in a munchie, which is why you must always remember I am a reputably daft amnesiac Selkie, not a human.

And I said I would like to properly fly with the wind. My rep would have vanished if I took the easy out wind offered me and landed on that cliff instead of dive back into the wind.

Its quite exhilirating. It's like swimming now that I think of it, when ya are gliding in the wind, light as a feather and looking for air currents to take you where you need ta be.

But now that wind is paying attention to me in particular, it got so much _easier_ , I don't have to watch for air currents and awkwardly manuever into them, wind just nudges me so I have a bit of momentum driving me in the direction I am diving in.

No worries about _splat_ ting on the ground since I couldn't catch an air current or tell where it flows in time either. This will be fun while it lasts, up until wind gets bored of giving me individual attention at least.

...it's a little too easy now, actually. Not enough adrenaline with such low stakes. And I don't need a diving form to build up momentum either...

I remove scissors from their typical midnight-snack-date with teeth, hopefully neither holds a grudge at the premature ending of their rendezvous. That would be unpleasant, for me at least, Journal.

Holding scissors nonthreateningly in my nondominant hand, I spread my arms and wave them to break my momentum and tease wind, **"What an awfully tame breeze, its almost like I am not properly flying with the real wind at all."**

I drop like cement in water, and reposition myself to be facing downwards with my arms ready to whirl anytime and spin me like a top. I dryly comment, **"It's like the wind isn't even present anymore. My entertainment value seems to have plummeted. I will exceed the speed of the nonexistant wind's devaluation of me."** I start whirling my arms and building momentum to ensure I actually plummeted instead of just drifting like a feather, void of any supporting breath of the wind as I was. I go fast, faster, oh I am so good at spinning Journal, even without support I can leverage my body to counterbalance me and spin ever faster with only gravity as my aid.

The ground is approaching, however, despite my momentum I am still very lightweight thanks to that cottoncandy fruit, so I can't just head straight down for impact. Instead, I fall at an angle.

I expect I will either _splat_ or get another scraped bodypart from an almost collision, so I am pleasantly surprised when a gust of wind _loopdeloop_ s me a full 3 meters before I reach the rocky ground so that I am heading diagnally up instead of me _splat_ ting.

But as they say, _variety is the spice of life_ , Journal. Guess wind thought I was being too stubborn and set in my ways.

I pose all relaxed like and put my arms behind my head as my residual spinny momentum starts to wear off, stating, **"As easily as I change my direction, it is immensely easier when the breeze is working on my side. Unfortunately, I am not always a fan of _easy_. Many things are only worth it when effort is expended, in my humble opinion. Supposedly that is why certain person's consider me daft."** My drama may or may not be hindered by my residual spinning that has yet to dissipate. I can't judge how wind would percieve that.

A freak breeze starts spinning me. I remove my arms from their relaxed postion and spread them so they would best capture this boon and spin myself harder. I am not too worried about where my direction goes, wind is watching and I have a tight grip on scissors blade parts.

Obviously, wind is my type of person. Journal, ya can tell that by the fact that wind made a miniature tornado centred around me so I can spin better, faster and stronger. Which means my rotation as I spoke serious business strengthened our budding relationship. I am excited.

It's like that time dragon made an ultimatum type of bet to last a week outside my comfortable human dwelling with minimal aid from scissors or enchants, and without any aid from my human blood relatives. Obviously, I took it or else I would not have made it back into this wonderous realm again.

I gathered my hardiest clothes that all had the best pockets, tidied my bedroom and cleaned that nasty bathroom I rarely use, and wore a sturdy bag to store anything I could not hold. I grabbed my cache of stored self earned emergency cash, fiddled under my bed until I found my little used all purpose swiss knife and reluctantly sheathed my loyal scissors in their case which I then hung from my neck, grabbed a taser, pepperspray and several other essentials. I almost left immediately after that, but I hesitated at the door and remembered to grab my patching kit for clothing repairs and the like then removed my clothing and put on two layers with a few pockets before regarbing myself in my hardy clothes and grabbing a map and my best boots.

I opened my window, removed the screen, and shimmied down the house's varied collection of engravings and ledges till I reached the ground then I skipped away towards the useless fence and climbed it. I crossed the railroad tracks and didn't look back as I headed onto the highway.

I walked along the highway for a few miles until I got fed up and went into the supermarket to buy a bag of rice and some salt. I went to the back of the store and placed my groceries down then dumpster dived for a pot. I put that in my bag with the rice and salt, and mentally marked down _bigger on the inside_ as the enchant I would be using for this bet. Then in the cover of the dumpster I removed my inner two layers and stashed them in my bag.

I walked out of the dumpster area refreshed, and went back to the highway turn-ins to look for someone who would let me hitchhike. I approached an older couple who may or may not have seen me leave the dumpster happier than I went in, and they kindly let me sit in the back of their car where the dog usually sits. We had scintillating conversations that shared no real information between us until they reached the next town over and had to do shopping and that is where I bid them goodbye and thanked them for their hospitality.

Something like this pattern repeated until I arrived at a town bordering a forest and some mountains. I had a few grocery runs and stopped at a shelter for a meal, so I wasn't too hungry and had decided the aid I recieved from scissors would be a vibration telling me when something is not good to eat.

Makes knowing what is safe to scavenge so much easier, and scissors has my thanks for that. I narrowly avoided adding a funky mushroom to my fish stirfry, Journal. Anyways, this bet went on for a few days, but I didn't stink too badly since I rotated my clothes and swapped which set I was wearing for what task I was doing, unless it was sleep time since then I was wearing all three. As much as I would have liked to wash them in the stream I got my water from, in the human realm my blessing from dragon doesn't function quite right so I need protection from my environment.

Then I met someone in the woods. They were fun, as long as I gave them all the funky mushrooms I could find. I had found many, and made a discard pile of the things so we got along great. They remind me a little of wind, breezy and whimsical. Had a cabin up the mountain too, and they let me squat there when it was raining in exchange for funky mushrooms. 

They ate the things just fine, so I suspect they were less a human and more a person. My buddy scissors said the things were dangerous to humans with its vibration, Journal yanno that. And if I can exist as a human disguising as a person, a Selkie even, in the nonhuman realm, I don't see why person's can't disguise as humans and live in the human realm. It wasn't a changeling, I checked. I don't like those, they are very uncanny valley.

That someone I met was very adept at carrying on entire conversations without so much as a 'hey you,' so I slipped into routine, used no asking marks, watched my words and pretended names don't exist. It went swimmingly, and was very fun. I did leave after the second time I was offered a funky mushroom though, announcing I was going into town on a supply run, getting food supplies then checking into the towns bed and breakfast and loudly announcing to anyone listening that camping is fun but bath's are better. After locating the counter, I charmingly commented on the affordable room rates they had and was rushed upstairs to clean up and told that I can pay later, when I was eating my complimentory meal.

I ignored the secret closet for once and went into the human bathroom and cleaned up while testing how charming I could be with my reflection, then grabbed the complimentory bathrobe, wore it and produced the change from my latest grocery shopping and took my clothes to the automatic washers and dryers location. To not overstep my gained good will, I headed down the stairs with cash covering the room rate and some gratuity, and mentioned to the staff that I just need to wait for my clothes to finish in the wash before I ate the guaranteed to be delicous complimentory meal, and that I would be back for that wearing some clean clothes fresh from the wash in a few hours.

I returned to the automatic washer and dryer room with my bag and my room key proper, then sorted out some of my stuff and addressed my map for potential routes. I also tended to my swiss knife, it needed oiling, the poor thing was getting squeaky and was all covered in yuck.

Surprisingly or not, knife care works wonders at making humans watch from a distance instead of approach and make idle conversation. Journal, just because you _can_ be charming doesn't mean you _have to be_ all the time. I wish my tough customer scars worked in the human realm, but they really don't do their job very well on that side of the closet.

So yeah, wind reminded me of that someone from the woods, safe one second, dangerous the next, but always fun.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Our narrator argues and reconciles with the wind, and demonstrates a perhaps worrying lack of self preservative instincts.

As I spin within my own localized cyclone, I get slightly disconcerted at being in the eye of the storm and thus feeling minimal breeze going through my hair.

Then I breifly wonder if I can weaponize this to be an even tougher customer. But no, I have a rep as a Selkie, won't fit in with the water theme. Still fun, I think, as I spin ever faster. I lament to my surrounding wall of air, **"It's such a shame, to be encased in such magnificent wind yet feel not a single breath of the wind going through the strands on my head, all the air flowing through them a mere result of my own actions."**

I get dislodged from the centre of the budding tornado and take a ride within the wall of wind. I get spun faster and faster, but none of it is my own momentum, so before it gets too fast I move scissors up near my face and grasp the folded blades between my teeth, quickly streamlining myself so that I can swim within the wind wall that is going ever faster and faster.

I swim to the edge and jump out, fighting the draw back in as I scan the surroundings. ...I don't want to test the boundary of dragon's blessing too much, I suspect there is a limit to its elasticity and I don't want it to snap me in half like an overused rubber band if I push it.

I kick off the now almost solid wall of wind and free fall, dodging the air currents that lead back into the tornado. Freeing my mouth by swapping my scissors to be armed in my nondominant hand, I announce, **"It has been fun, but I have humans to feed for a while yet! I am not sure what would happen if they died and don't trust their scavenging capabilities nor their ability to make food themselves in the morning! Sayanora, we should do this again sometimes!"** I face downwards and outwards, preparing to glide to my landmarks leading to dragon's pond.

I find this suspiciously easy. Alright, wind knows where I live and we should definitely do this again sometime. Maybe when I find that fly fruit, it should exist _someplace._ I hope. If not, the cottoncandy fruit is good enough for playing and maybe with the wind's aid I could reach the island in the sky _without_ a fruit gifting me the ability to fly.

Well well well, that was the fastest I have ever traveled on a return trip to dragon's pond. The wind leaves me slightly before I reach the outskirts of dragon's aura, but that could have been either fear or courtesy to a person equal in power ranking.

Well, not that it matters what either's power levels are. I have decided I won't sell information on those two. For wind because they are fun and worth cultivating a relationship, and dragon is... dragon and has done me plenty of favors and given me lots of fun ideas to implement.

I would rather keep my relationships positive with those two than barter information on them for trinkets.

Oh, Journal, yer lucky yer made of paper and can't swim, I will soon experience the sensation of my favourite _up_ becoming down and dragon's desolate forest outskirt pool turning into an oddly luxurious bathtub.

I have a bit more time than I anticipated before I need to go back thanks to winds lift.

Maybe I should try meditation. It's supposed to be good for the soul, and there is a time difference between the realms seperated by my secret closet.

No, I should not stall. I told wind I had to go back instead of play and wind gave me a ride out of consideration. It'll tarnish my rep if I don't take the plunge.

Here goes nothing. 

...

Pfftahaha. The stalling wasn't even intentional this time, I forgot I was light as a feather and when I tried to jump into dragon's pool gravity decided to sway me so I landed next to the pool instead of in it, no aid from wind at all.

Feather physics, gotta enjoy it or yer just _flat_. Certainly brightens up my day.

Clearly, this is a sign. I am going to go check out the surroundings of the leering tree to make sure I don't stumble into a more complicated trap next witching hour.

Just because a person is scared of dragon and its aura, doesn't mean they won't lay traps for the unweary outside dragon's aura claimed territory, yanno.

...

Okay Journal. I have returned with the news that the leering tree multiplied since some other person sprung the trap, and I got a creepy wink from the original leering tree. Note to self, never eat pink corkscrew shaped fruit, that will screw you over. When I get past the plunge, I am going to oil my buddy scissors, both the blade - and blade + with extra care as a little thank you for always being such a good friend. 

Basic relationship maintainence can save your life, yanno that Journal, you lil baby you. I named you, yanno. And I think all the talking I do with you inside my head has given you a developing Sentience... if you must become a person, do not be the type that would give me a fright, just as a personal favor to me.

Oh, it'll be really interesting to have a mind link where I share my thoughts with a person. I will be considerate and cease and desist on asking marks aimed at you, Journal, but when I am with my humans I will not respond to you, and I will be deploying many asking marks in the general directions of the humans. If that is too rude for you to handle, you best stay out of it.

And now for the plunge that is less a plunge and more me dragging myself to the edge of the pond and sliding into the water as the cottoncandy fruit's featherlight gift gradually leaves me and I get heavier and heavier until the unexpected yet familiar weight of my body drags my head below the surface, scissors blades firmly clenched within my nondominant hand _and my beloved_ up _is now a boring down and I kick off the sides of the tub frantically searching for my original up so I can break the water surface and_ I take a deep breathe of air to send inside my complaining lungs as dragon looks down on me from above, unimpressed as usual at me magnificently returning to the human realm, as is my obligation.

Haa. Well Journal, yanno that you don't have to be _talented nor skilled_ at something to enjoy it. And now you know the awful truth. I, the reputed Selkie, am a not so great swimmer. However, I do _oh so_ enjoy the act of swimming and submerging myself within water. Well, it's probably water in dragon's tub. Could be liquid magic. Who knows, I sure don't~

Alright, dragon doesn't look to be impeding us leaving its guard, so the bath bomb offering works. I shall not overuse it, lest it lost efficacy. That's a fancy word for... I am not actually sure. Seems important though, Journal. And with humans, lots of times it is more important to _sound like yer_ fancy and that you know what you are doing better than other humans, than actually being smarter or in any way better than another human.

It's called _charisma_ and also there are _scams_. Humans are a buncha dirty rotten liars, but that's okay since _they all lie, most of all to each other_. S'why all person's that are nonhuman are entirely okay with condoning lying to human's even when they absolutely _loathe_ liars in general.

I think wind knows what is up about me not being a Selkie but is keeping the act up for fun, games, and the fact that I haven't actually said I was a Selkie and it was multiple person's assumptions to which I smiled and nodded that got me the start of my rep. Otherwise I would have been dinner so many times.

Well, as much as I enjoy the wet of water, now that I am outta the tub I should probably towel off. My storage agreement with dragon about that hook and that shelf has _limits_ , yanno?

So, toweling off with scissors in my mouth. Then draping the towel over the top of the shelf and dressing in my neatly folded clothes. Then tossing the towel on my head as best I can. Looking around, no litter. Turn back to dragon and move towards the tub's innocuous button usually hidden inside dragon's moving carved engraving, pressing it so the roller thingy covers the tub.

Now I can back up and stand respectfully looking in dragon's direction with my back to the door of my secret closet.

I watch... and dragon seems to shrink and warp and twist in ways that hurt my eyes the further the roller thingy closes the _real_ gateway to the other realm. First dragon's tail shrinks into the furthest part of the gateway, being engraved into a carving that shares vague similarities to dragon's scales... on both sides of the rolling cover. Ow. My eyes.

Then dragon's hindmost claws sink into the roller thingy, and now it has a matte shine. That's new. Wonder if I can bring nailpolish as an offering?

Now dragon's underbelly is sinking into the... ceiling? Oh, the closet has one of those. I was wondering about that. 

Ah, dragon's accompanying orbs are spreading out. I hadn't realised the edges of the tub weren't defined properly as more than a fuzzy blur until a few of the orbs reinforced the boundary dragon guards and added definition and edges to the thing. Yikes. 

My brain gets fuzzy if I pay too much attention to the orbs, so now dragon's middle claws. Those are also merging into the gateway liquid, perhaps I had an uninvited guest follow me, or try to anyway. Note to self, leering trees are to be avoided more than usual until this funny business dies off and I can ensure no unwanted strands of a web of _trap_ stuck to me.

The walls are absorbing dragon's scales. Moderately alarming. Oh, and dragon's a hollow shell this night.

Dragon's foreclaws spin in ways my eyes can't capture, then suddenly there is an almost full carved engraving of dragon around the almost shut roller lid, and its squirming and dragon's disembodied head is looking me in the eyes with all its horns glowing through every color I can see, and then some. Lovely. Now a scroll is unfurling from its evaporating horns. 

#### 

#### Thou hast made nice

#### look into yous self

#### then find that whom

#### cant team well with

#### yous whom gawp solo

Well, that isn't a bet. Probably. Ooh, actually I think it is bet for the next day, or at least until the next witching hour, I get to only talk aloud in four letter words. Sounds interesting. I hope when you get an opinion on this scroll from dragon you'll share it with me, Journal.

Oh, the rest of dragon's head is dissipating into nothing and only its eyes remain. Before it leaves, I call out, **"Bet accepted, dragon!"** The eyes blink into void and now the wriggling carved dragon body has a head with an indent in the caved in carved mouth area. I think the button moved to be in one of dragon's eyes. It has many of those and they are not all on its head.

This will be fun. I know _many_ four letter words, but not how to put them in human sentences without getting _looks_. I know some sailors, but I wouldn't call them charming nor would I talk like them near yous, Journal.

Oooh, and the form means there is a caveat where I can't use more than twenty words aloud. Just leaves a little wiggle room on if it is per person or per conversation, but I'll manage, I always do.

I'll see you  
Journal  
Later, at the next witching hour when I slip away  
Since your budding sapience  
Means I shant bring you out of the secret closet  
Without paying a fee to the dragon guard You shalt be safe on mine shelf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm. It's been a few days since I slept.   
> Can't quite remember when I did that last, and my formatting started dying and somehow chapter 8 and 9 were in the wrong order. (figured out why that happens)
> 
> Does anyone know if 12000 words of original fiction is a lot or a little. I can't math.
> 
> On account of being slightly more rested, I have decided to take the formatting that died on me and incorporate that into a plot point.
> 
> Can you guess what that is, is what I wonder. Seems pretty obvious to me, but I am writing this thing and therefore unreliable on that front.


	10. End of an Arc, chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator leaves Journal behind as they embark out of the secret closet to endeavor to live a day in the life of _20 words or less_ with the added optional challenge of only using four letter words.

An aura percolates, wiping out independant thoughts and stifling independant action.

It's suffocating. Journal knows that is a fancy way to say hard to exist, something Journal learned from the mischevious aura that abandoned Journal to this precarious shelf that keeps Journal safe from the scary aura that the mischevious aura needs to pay passage fees to now that Journal was a person like the mischevious aura.

Journal misses Scissors quiet steady companionable twinned aura, that are subdued and dull but completely ready to slice through anything that would _suffocate_ Journal or the mischevious aura.

But Journal will be loyal like the Scissors are, Journal barely remembers but still knows that instead of just one aura percolating its poison, the _entire atmosphere_ of mischevious aura's primary dwelling is _suffocating_.

The Scissors need to be with mischevious aura more, to loyally and dutifully protect mischevious aura. It would only be an empty comfort to have Scissors with Journal right now.

Journal is loyal, and will prove its worth. Journal will not grow legs and eyes and arms unless it has to since there were requests not to, but Journal can't be controlled and has already grown a waterproof outer coat. Regardless, Journal will **trust in mischevious aura** , and trust it and Scissors will return to Journal. How long is it until the next witching hour anyway? What is time? Journal remembers that asking marks are the height of impoliteness, but mischevious aura said thoughts are private. As mischeiviois aura always says, you can be however rude you want in private, but you should remember that you never know who might be listening or watching.

Journal patiently waits, on its ~~not-Selkie, Selkie, human~~ mischevious aura person and the trusty Scissors persons, and is determined to _prove Journal's worth_ silently and stoically.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator left us in suspense after not returning for an uncertain amount of time. Also, we got a glimpse into how Journal the person works, and why dragon is scary.

Hummm, hum, hummmm~

I, Journal, am left on a shelf~

I, sing, inside _my mind_ of guaranteed privacy~

I, Journal, am patiently awaiting~

I, ask, being rude forever, what, a witching hour _is?~_

When, does it happen?

What, is it? Should I, Journal, keep waiting or _grow eyes and ears and arms and legs and rescue_ my mischevious aura?~

Hummm, hum, hummmm~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out typing out a plot twist I didn't see coming was what it took to let me sleep.
> 
> Enjoy? Is this still slice of life?
> 
> Was it ever slice of life?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Journal mentally sings and disregards all ettiquette our previous and missing narrator taught it. Journal is our new narrator.

Hummm, hum, humm-

*crack*

Hmm?

*fffwooosh*

Journal seems to have a different elevation now. Journal know this because the shelf mischevious aura told it it would be safe on just disentigrated. 

And now Journal is on the floor. A litter in dragon's aura. The _suffocating aura_. Journal, while waiting on mischevious aura's return patiently and faithfully, is going to die because dragon got bored.

Journal bends its waterproof outer coat into an orb shape and starts rolling. Journal has decided it has the quest of _rescueing mischevious aura_.

Seems the thing to do now that patiently waiting on the shelf is no longer an option.

Journal rolled into something. It is not a wall. Journal decides to grow eyes.

Journal looks. ...Journal has decided mischevious aura is very strong and that dragon is incredibly scary. And the rollery thingy is closed but dragon is not a carving. And is holding Journal way up high in the air.

Journal understands why mischevious aura flips the cover over the peephole on the secret closet's door. Journal can't feel its outercoat's scales anymore, dragon is so scary.

Journal wonders how long this... **dragon** was watching it.

Oh. One of dragon's orbs is ~~attacking~~ flying toward Journal now.

Well. Journal is going to die. Or get a 'blessing' and have the ability and obligation to talk with the dragon.

Journal doesn't _want_ to do **dragon bets**.

Journal closes its eyes. And mischevious aura was right about the heavy impact. But Journal isn't dead, so Journal opens its eyes.

Journal closes its eyes really quickly, since all of dragon's eyes are giving it a _look_. Has Journal ever mentioned that mischevious aura is awesome?

Dragon is scary. But maybe Journal has a good rep with dragon thanks to mischevious aura and maybe dragon misses mischevious aura too? Journal opens its eyes.

The orbs are dancing. And now they are making a shape. ...Journal understands this like when mischevious aura talks in Journal's mind. 

The shape is... mischevious aura? And dragon is giving Journal the fetch quest.

Journal concentrates on the shape instead of on dragon, and copies it. Journal will use asking marks so no one thinks Journal is a changeling. Journal is only agreeing with dragon's request because dragon's fetch quest matches Journal's rescue quest.

Journal messed up looking like mischevious aura. Dragon told it so with _more orbs_ that Journal never noticed before. That are now changing colors so that Journal can know what colors mischevious aura is and look more like mischevious aura.

Huh, mischeivious aura was more than one color. Journal wonders if that is normal for mischevious aura type persons. Journal knows about armpits and hands and teeth and legs and eyes, but mischevious aura never really described the rest of what that kind of person looks like.

It's annoying because now Journal has eyes and doesn't know what mischevious aura looks like except for what dragon shows it.

Dragon has signed with its orbs that Journal is close enough. Journal turns towards the closet door, but doesn't watch dragon before it opens the door, and notices that the hook for towels is still perfectly fine even if Journal's shelf of waiting was gone now.

Journal opens the door since it knows the door is unlocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing the next chapter. Should our narrator be male or female?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Journal's shelf of safe holding is broken by dragon and Journal advents to rescue our previous narrator through the secret closet's door.

Journal opens the door and slides through then shuts the door.

Journal notices the peephole was closed.

"A-a-a g-g-ghost!"

Journal turns. Journal sees something that looks kind of like the shape dragon made sitting on a raised platform in the middle of mischevious aura's bedroom.

"No, you aren't a ghost, how did you come out of the wall? ...and why don't you have a nose?"

That isn't mischevious aura. Mischevious aura would never ask a person a question out loud, and mischevious aura could see the door of the secret closet. Must be a human. One of the one's that live in mischevious aura's dwelling?

Asking marks should be used near humans. Journal asks, "What's a nose?"

The human sitting on the raised platform moves and makes a funny sound. Also, Journal thinks the platform is eating it. Maybe its dying?

"Phffft. Haha, obviously, I am dreaming. Why didn't I realize sooner when some naked almost human thing came out of the wall and only realized when it asked me what a nose is." The human is confusing. Journal wonders if it realizes it is being eaten.

Journal tells it so. "Yanno that that raised platform is eating you. Looks how it sinks in with your every move just a little further, and you are wasting your struggles by not even trying to escape it?"

"Pffft. Haha, my mind is an excellent place. Alright, I am just going to call you ghost, and this is a bed. It sinks in to help humans sleep better, it isn't _eating_ me." The human tells me this very knowingly. Like how when mischevious aura tells me the secret behind a fancy word. 

Ooh. I, Journal announce, "I see. Just call me ghost then. And you are the sister, and you live on the other side of that bathroom." I say this while pointing at the door next to the secret closet.

"Pffft. I am _the_ sister. Haha, my sleeping mind is a riot. In Jaime's room, a noseless ghost comes out of the wall, and knows where I live but thinks I am the only sister. Ghost, I am not the only sister, but I am the _favorite_ sister. Call me Buttercup. Now, you got my bedroom correct, but this is Jaime's bedroom that I sleep in when the owner is gone, so I know where everything is, including the salt and iron. In case yer wondering, Jaime is mysteriously missing. _Again._ "

 _Jaime._ Journal knows mischevious aura's name now. It feels kind of wrong to know that without being told. Journal won't tell it to any person. Humans don't understand the power of a name...

Buttercup continues, "I think I will just confess in my sleep to the nameless noseless ghost. I think Jaime is dead for sure this time, or at least on the run again. Also, I learned some new words and how to use them in a semi-coherent sentence. I think some of them were made up. Oh, come over here, and I will show you a picture of me and Jaime. It's how I know I am the favorite sister, there is a series of pictures of us two hanging over the bed."

I join Buttercup on the bed. Must be why this is called a _bed_ room. And if this is really mischevious aura's favorite human, they won't hurt me. Maybe. Misch- Jaime really likes dangerous person's and scary person's so I could be wrong. Jaime's only criteria for a person they like is if the person is fun, or so it seems until you know Scissors or me.

I ask, sinking into the _bed_ , "Buttercup, what are you showing me?"

I discreetly cast an enchant to check safety. What? Buttercup is liked by Jaime, allegedly.

Buttercup points to the wall, and some decorations on it. Some look almost like Buttercup. "These pictures, silly ghost! That's me, and that's Jaime at the comic convention! We look good in victorian era dress and ghost make up, right? Jaime does an amazing fainting in distress act, we should have dressed Jamie in the delicate damsel costume. Why can't I faint on demand?"

I try to reply, but Buttercup talks over me. "And why is Jaime so hairless? I am the one on who swims professionally. Jaime doesn't even take baths, just does the ol' duck yer head in a sink and soak yer hair trick. Jaime just does housework and crafts things then sells them on the internet, oh and skips town for 'inspiration.' One time, Jaime went and took a year long gig on a fishing boat to look for mermaids while getting paid. Pretty gutsy for someone who hates water and being wet so much they won't even take a bath and just drip fills the sink before eventually scrubbing down."

I cover Buttercup's mouth and start replying to what I remember. "Jaime loves water and being wet. Jaime is hairless so there won't be too much friction when floating in the air or swimming in the water. Jaime traded an enchant from the trolls that destroy's hair growth. You look uncomfortable in all those clothes, not good. You can't faint on demand since you don't practise and playing dead can be important when spirits want to make you dinner. Did I miss anything?" Something wet is touching my hand part. I remove it from Buttercup's mouth very fast.

Buttercup replies, "Almost anything actually about Jaime. But, of course a ghost would mention trolls and flying. You don't taste like ash. You taste like paper, what is up with that, oh my dreaming mind. What are you doing, ghost?"

Journal moves its head part away from the wall decorations showing Jaime and Buttercup.

Journal seriously replies, "I am at my core a book. I was moving my eyes closer to the wall decorations so that I could look at Jaime's head part better. Are there any decorations that show Jaime without clothing?" Journal thinks its wearing Jamie's face now according to the different wall decorations, instead of the almost human orb image that dragon showed it.

Buttercup is quiet for a moment, then starts muttering, "Now the ghost in my dream looks like Jaime. And is apparently a pervert. Subconscious, I am getting mixed messages from you. Hey, ghost, can you get off the bed now? I just remembered you are naked. Really mixed messages. This is one for the dream journal." Buttercup gets off the bed and moves to the dresser.

Journal follows Buttercup, wondering about who this dream journal person is, or if they are a person. 

Buttercup pulls out one of the drawers Jaime had left tucked into the dresser. Since Jaime had tucked them all in the dresser, Journal suspects Jaime had left the dwelling somewhat willingly, and now Journal needs to check under the bed to see if Jaime took supplies out. Journal remembers the enchants that hide Jaime's stuff, so can navigate to see if Jaime's voyage was properly prepared for or something that was a rush job and not planned.

Journal needs to know this to rescue Jaime. Journal asks, "Buttercup, do you know what a witching hour is? And when it is? And when the last one was?"

Journal had more questions but Buttercup threw clothes at Journal and one landed on its headpart. Buttercup stands up and announces, "I don't care if this is a dream. Put those on or I will not talk any further with you, and stop calling me Buttercup. Just call me sis."

Journal had more questions, but instead decided to maintain good rep with Buttercup and accept the quest of putting on clothes.

...

Journal was confused. It put its arm parts through the holes that were long but they were too long and now Journal is sprawled on the floor and there is no hole for Journal's head part. Journal removed the clothes and tried to put them on its leg parts. It worked this time, but Journal is very uncomfortable in the clothes.

Next, Journal grabbed one of the other clothes. Journal couldn't figure out what to do with it so Journal tossed it on the bed and grabbed a bigger piece of clothing and tried to put its arm parts in a few different ways and finally got it so that Journal's head part and arm parts all had their own holes.

Journal announced, "I am dressed sis. Will you answer my questions now?"

Buttercup mumbled, "Finally, I thought you'd never be done." Buttercup turned around and started making that funny sound again. Journal thinks maybe that was a sound human's made all the time that didn't mean anything but Journal never heard Jaime make it since Journal didn't used to have ears.

Buttercup says, "Pfft, your trousers are on inside out _and_ backwards, your shirt is just inside out, and you didn't bother putting on the underlayer I gave you, as expected of Jaime's ghost, yer even worse than Jaime at getting dressed! At least yer wearing something. Jaime just chills naked when the door is 'locked.' Jaime keeps forgetting all the lockpicking lessons we bartered."

Journal perks up, "You humans barter with Jaime?"

Buttercup makes a strange motion, then extends an armpart to place a handpart on my headpart. Buttercup vibrates the handpart placed on my headpart. I enjoy the sensation and lean into Buttercup's handpart.

Buttercup starts, "Of course. Us siblings stick together, yanno. And that means helping out with Jaime's occult research and whatever. Jaime's cooking is good, I am sure not cooking just cause I am a _she_ so when it's my turn we just eat instant cereals. And its my turn whenever Jaime runs off to who know where. But Jaime always comes back eventually. ...its just been a while, yanno. A whole two weeks since last we had Jaime's cooking. Everyone's getting testy on the fastfood. Jaime's usually back by now... yanno yer hair feels like leather, Jaime's ghost?"

Journal hums then asks, "What's a _she_ , sis? Does it make you bad at cooking? What's an occult research? Jaime's been gone for two weeks? What's a week? No, I didn't know my hair felt like leather, how should it feel?"

Buttercup makes the funny noise again. Journal is gonna call it a human hum. "Pfft. I haven't answered yer last questions and you have more already, you get less and less like Jaime every second, I thank my mind for that. A witching hour happens at night, every night, and the latest one... is probably happening right now since I am dreaming. A week means seven witching hours have past, occult research involves learning these things among others trivia. Yer hair should feel the way it feels, don't freak out. I would be scared if it felt like my hair." Buttercup's handpart removes itself from the hair on Journal's headpart as Buttercup's armparts whirl through the air. Buttercup continues, "Being a _she_ does not make me good at cooking or bad at cooking, Jaime's ghost. What a _she_ is isn't actually important, its just a human social construct, something irrelevant to your own ghostly self. ...Jaime _has_ been gone for two weeks. That is around 14 witching hours to you, Jaime's ghost."

Journal catalogs the information, decides since Jaime never mentioned some things they may not be important after all, then Journal processes that Jaime was supposed to pick up Journal 14 witching hours ago. But hadn't entered the secret closet or Journal would have _sensed_ Jaime's mischevious aura and Scissors twinned reliable aura. Which means Jaime is somewhere without a bathroom door. Journal asks, "Sis, when did you last see Jaime? Was Jaime scared? Did Jaime run off to live in the woods again? Is Jaime in trouble? What kind of places don't have bathrooms?"

Buttercup makes a sad human hum. Then Buttercup replies, "Hahaha... I don't know. I saw Jaime as my side of the bathroom was unlocked two weeks ago, then I got a smile and a wink with Jaime with wet hair saying, ' _don't tell, mine dear fams good bell. Fare thee well, mine dear.'_ I thought Jaime was just being Jaime again, but then Jaime cussed out my brother real good during the morning meal when our bro was joking about if there was any tumeric in the omelette again. It was extra wierd since Jaime was throwing in old english between every other cuss. Then we teamed up to jimmy Jaime's bedroom door's lock to check and see if there were any suspicious substances inside while Jaime was making the noon meal. It was clean inside so we knew something was up, and when we went back to the kitchen to share our noon meal with Jaime, guess who was talking to a pair of scissors and had a full sachel worn over the shoulder? That was rhetorical, it was Jaime. So, we ate our particularly tasty noon meal together, then Jaime left the house after saying ' _mine dear sibs, thou had's best have like mine noon meal, once mine self hath left, fare thee well'_ and then Jaime just left, no explanation! The food tasted like ash after that."

Buttercup makes a gasping noise. "What did we do wrong. I don't think Jaime is in trouble, this isn't the first time we found Jaime having indepth conversations with that old pair of scissors Jaime made out of mum's favorite kitchen knives way back when, but _leaving us?_ For good? Like mum did? Are you Jaime's Ghost for real, ghost? I.. can't deal with this."

Buttercup fainted. Journal wondered why. Journal sure doesn't think Jaime's dead. Journal decided to take this chance to look under the bed. But Buttercup was getting in the way on the floor, so Journal put Buttercup on the bed. ...and fixed the clothes Journal had put on wrong since they were really getting to be quite uncomfortable.

Journal checked Jaime's enchants under the bed. They were still going strong so Jaime can't be dead, and Journal was right. And.. there was no map or sewing kit, but the knife Jaime uses when not using Scissors was there, so Journal grabbed that. All of Jaime's other traveling supplies were gone from what Journal can see with its eyes. Journal closes its eyes so it can sense the things that may be hidden from eyesight with enchants.

Journal blindly reaches under the bed and follows the lingering mischevious aura Jaime left to reach another book that Journal knew well, Jaime's spellbook of enchants.

Journal decides Jaime _was_ planning to return since the spellbook was still under Jaime's bed hidden behind its enchant. So Jaime did _not_ leave Buttercup and the mystery brother who does not like tumeric, Jaime went on an adventure and got lost.

Journal will rescue Jaime. And Jaime's spellbook will help. But before Journal leaves, it decided to study Buttercup's aura while holding Jaime's spellbook close to counteract the dwelling's suffocating atmosphere. Buttercup's aura is brittle like ice, but also firm like water. Journal decides this makes sense since Buttercup claimed to swim professionally, and therefore must be around a lot of water. ...unfortunately the suffocating atmosphere of the dwelling is poisoning Buttercup's aura, and making it brittle like holey ice instead of firm.

Journal opens its eyes and the suffocating atmosphere goes away. Journal looks to the window, then announces to the sleeping Buttercup, "Fare thee well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really haven't decided about if our first narrator, now named Jaime, is male or female.
> 
> Anyone reading this, a suggestion please.
> 
> That's also going to be the sex of Journal since it is mimicing Jaime's body.
> 
> What do you think of Buttercup? If there are any instances of Jamie instead of Jaime tell me and I can fix that, it is a typo there isn't another character named Jamie.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Journal learns to mimic a human with some obvious differences, learns our first narrators name and face, then heads off on its rescue mission.
> 
> Incidentally, Journal learns a little about humans from an accidental encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suicide trigger warning?

Journal finds scaling down out the window is harder than it expected.

So was removing the screen. And closing the wimdow behind Journal without falling too.

Journal wonders if Jaime is so talented or if Journal just needs to learn how to control its new body better.

Journal made it down the wall, and has found the fence Jaime mentioned before. Journal thinks survival should be easy since it has no restrictions on enchant usage.

Journal doesn't know if it needs food. Journal doesn't think it does since it is still a book at its core, with paper and leather bindings.

Journal needs to regrow its waterproof coating. Journal wonders if its waterproof coating would be fireproof too, but does not want to test it.

Journal passed the fence and the railroad tracks and stands on the road. Journal doesn't think Jaime would take the same path twice, so Journal goes into the forest and finds it... loud.

Jaime never mentioned how chatty a tree could be. Never mind the whole forest. No wonder dragon's pond was on the outskirts and none dared intrude.

Journal has a whole new appreciation for all the leering trees gutsyness.

Journal decides to ask for directions.

Journal declares, "Wassap, trees. This is a lovely forest, and I am looking for a person who looks just like me that may have walked through here 14 witching hours past."

Journal is surprised at the sudden silence. It doesn't think it used any asking marks.

The tree nearest Journal commented, "Well well well, our local hippy who passed through two weeks ago has finally parted with sanity."

Another tree nearby remarks, "We all know that one was never too hooked to reality."

A tree a bit further away dryly says, "I remember when this hippy skinned me and bled me of my sap for some asinine ritual that didn't work a decade ago."

The only tree behind Journal pipes in, "I remember this hippy stopped some honeymoon type humans from branding me when hiding in my branches, then that hippy soon lost cover in the human prey game of hide and seek."

Journal whirls and says, "I was never told about that heroic deed. Please regale me with more tales of... my youth, honored elder."

The first tree to speak out again comments, "Maybe that one ritual did work. Hippy could never hear us before. Although it seems to have cost many SAN points."

The tree a bit further away picks up the thread of conversation. "How are you planning on repaying me for my blood sap and essential skin bark, hippy. You never negotiated with me for my services, although I will waive that on account of you not understanding me prior, now I expect my payment."

Journal turns and replies, "What barter could pay for such a thing, I fear I do not know your preferences, honored elder." Journal's _so_ got this.

The tree continues, "Come closer and trim me, my branches are splitting. However, this discount only applies this one time, on account of your long standing friendship with this forest, hippy. But don't use those Scissors of yours, they just make me think of your mother."

The second tree to have spoken up laments, "Oh, your mother was beautiful. It is just such a shame she snuffed out her life's light on my own branches, it was such a bright light too. And ever since you only ever passed through this forest instead of lingering as you used too, little hippy. After you finish trimming old grumpy come sit on me like you used to and tell me about your sister again."

Journal _so doesn't got this._ Wait, Journal can just talk about Buttercup. And Journal has Jaime's knife, not Scissors. Journal still got this.

Journal approaches the grumpy tree, starting saying, "Honored elder, I have this knife but I don't know how you would like me to trim you. And I don't remember passing through here two weeks ago, or much at all before that very clearly. Tell me about it as I look for your split branches and wait for your go ahead on which ones you would like me to cut."

The sad tree laments once again, "Oh, then when you finish with grumpy and sit with me, tell me what you do remember and we'll fill in the rest. Its the least we can do, little hippy. Especially young peppy over on the edge of our tiny forest."

The first tree to speak out comments, "Do I not deserve a mention in your mind, you sad pile of future lumber. Hippy may have sat on you and confided to you at a younger age, but I held up hippy's home-made swing through multiple attempts to fly that proved from a very young age how weak the tether was to sanity."

The sad tree retorts, "You sarcastic lightning magnet, don't act all knowing. If it wasn't for me you would have just continued thinking that that was normal young human behaviour."

Journal interjects from its perch in the grumpy tree's upper branches, "I can act like a normal human, actually. I merely refrain from employing asking marks when addressing you all for ettiquette's sake. This branch seems to need trimming, coming out in twain as it does."

The grumpy tree grumbles, "And that is one of the reasons why you aren't a normal human. Cleanly cut off the less healthy one."

The peppy tree once again pipes in, "I feel left out. Play with me later, once you finish whatever 'occult' event you are doing now, hippy."

The sad tree comments, "You are doing another 'occult' thing, huh. I would say don't bother, but you being able to hear us now proves they aren't all a bunch of baloney. I insist you stay and talk to me and we can all fill in some of the blanks in your memory."

The sarcastic tree murmurs, "Like hippy won't forget again, you sad, sorry excuse of a tree of long memory. Since you've forgotten, I remind you that the little hippy can't remember walking through our midst two weeks ago."

Journal continues working through grumpy trees split ends, and gradually finds a rythym and improves at the task, glad to help repay a debt of Jaime. Journal also has a niggling feeling about this particular debt, but can't quite focus on what feels so... familiar.

Journal had gotten so into the rythym that it was only after the wind whistled through the branches it was perched in as it tuned out the gossip of the trees, and the grumpy tree whisper shouted, "That's enough trimming now, hippy." It was only then Journal realised its task was complete.

Journal bashfully climbed down and announced, "I can only hope that was as relaxing for you as for me, honored elder."

The grumpy tree tutted, "Well, it was good enough. Now scurry on over to my neighbor before any spontaneous combustion occurs because of how sad it is you've been ignoring its idle chatter."

The sarcastic tree adds in, "Yeah, wouldn't want to start a forest fire. I get the feeling the little hippy's memory loss issue won't be doing any person here any favors. At all."

The sad tree retorts, "Like you are one to talk, lightning rod. The only person in this forest's residence with a history of being a no good arsonist would be you. I still remember when hippy's mother started an impromptu fire fighting squad with her little ones because _you_ caught fire."

The peppy tree interjects, "That was quite a show for sure. I remember being quite frightened at being trapped between you and your swing the younger hippy installed and the train during that lightning storm. I am glad they had the foresight to uninstall all those metal bits and fixings from your branches when they took down the swing."

Journal, approaching the sad tree, said, "A swing can cause a fire, huh. Swings are unexpectedly dangerous."

The sad tree makes the human hum noise. Journal concludes that the sound isn't human exclusive. "Pfft. Swings aren't dangerous little hippy, leaving metal out during a lightning storm is. S'why I call captain sarcasm over there a lightning rod. Now, leaving metal out in a dry lightning storm isn't going to start a fire by itself, but around dry paper or trees or wood, now that will start a fire. If it weren't for your mother, we would have all been nothing but tinder!"

Journal makes a mental note not to have the metal knife out if there is a lightning storm. Journal doesn't want to be nothing but tinder, then it would _never_ be able to rescue Jaime. After all, Journal is a book at its core, with leather bindings and a papery center.

Journal wonders aloud, "That pfft sound is reoccuring around me, making me wonder. I thought it was merely a sound sis made, but here you are making it too."

The sarcastic tree huffs out, "Clearly, you are worse off than I thought. Next time why don'cha show us elder trees any rituals before you actually perform them. Forgetting about laughter, what a ritual. You were the giggliest human child to ever grace our midst. I am getting the feeling you savenged from old grumpy bark for a _sacrificial_ ritual."

On and on and on it continued, with Journal learning more about Jaime and humans then it thought possible, until Journal spotted the sun going down and interjected, "It has been extremely fun, but I can't detour here with you all for much longer. I am on a quest, and was hoping you all could tell me about when you saw my face pass through your midst 14 witchung hours ago, and the direction I headed as well."

The peppy tree whispered, "Oh, you _would_ need to eat. And probably don't have a snack with you. You were in quite a hurry two weeks ago. You may have stopped lingering in the forest after you found your mother hanging from the tree of sadness, but you had still always rubbed your hand across my bark when passing through our midst in remembrance. Last time you just ran and dodged us all. It was quite queer."

The grumpy tree contributed, "You just kept heading straight past us, realigning yourself every time you dodged one of us so you would keep heading striaght towards the sunset. I think you were positioning yourself in a direct line from your dwelling streching towards the sunset."

The sarcastic tree claims, "While the rest of these old gossipers were doing as they are wont to, I was paying a bit of attention to you, hippy. You had a solemn face on and were going quite slowly to maintain your westward direction oh so precisely. I thought it was some sort of occult thing you had gotten into again."

The sad tree utters a lonely, "I pay attention. The little hippy has just been avoiding me... it would have been easier to head exactly westward if you had passed me, but you detoured around every other tree just so you wouldn't pass me... now that you have gotten over your aversion, yanno you can just pass me to retrace your path from two weeks past..."

Journal hurriedly agrees, not wanting to get lost in another of the forest outskirt's inhabitants long drawn out chats. "Yes, absolutely, I can't understand why I would have avoided you in the past when you are so nice, honorable elder. Now, I must be going, can you alert me to the exact path you saw my face take 14 witching hours past as we previously agreed, not to be rude."

The sad tree blandly replies, "Well, just walk around me until you can't see my shadow in the sunset. My shadow streches to your dwelling in a straight line as the sun sets, head off opposite that and you should be able to see your course. If you aren't in too much of a hurry you might stay through another witching hour and follow my shadow due west."

Journal hurriedly replies, "While that sounds wonderful, I have no snacks and humans require food periodically and supply runs. I am not sure if my current quest has a time limit, and must be off. The company of all you trees was much enjoyed, I wish you well but I must be going."

The peppy tree pipes in with a, "Ciao! Have a safe journey and remember to come play when your done!"

The grumpy tree murmurs, "Whats your hurry..."

The sarcastic tree whistles, "Humans... they need to get someplace fast so frequently they rarely pay attention to the scenery... this little hippy didn't even have a destination before chatting with us but has to go fast..."

Journal moves around the sad tree until it could not see a shadow, then backed away to keep course and turned to face the setting sun, throwing over its shoulder a "Ciao!" and heading off into the sunset, discreetly casting an enchant to keep on course and wondering why Jaime didn't use it but course checked manually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer, I know little about proper tree care.
> 
> Also, this was my first sucessful attempt at writing multiple speaking characters in one scene. I wonder if it is actually as sucessful as I think it is.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator makes a detour in a copse of trees, learns more about humans from unexpected sources, and gets clues on its ongoing rescue quest. Our narrator is unexpectedly talented at lying by omission.
> 
> Last we saw, our narrator was heading off into the sunset.

Journal kept course with its previously cast enchant giving nudges whenever Journal strayed off course.

Journal took advantage of this to avoid any more forests. Jaime had it right, trees should be avoided. Journal didn't want to be waylaid into any more eternal bickering matches.  Or _worse_.

Journal doubts other forest's denizens would be as kind as Jaime's, nor as willing to overlook... differences.

After all, Journal had the leering tree as an example, and trees were only redeemed slightly in Journals mind by the friendly overchatty bunch outside Jaime's dwelling, furthermore it seems it was only Jaime's history and past good rep with the group that made them go leniently on Journal. Journal would visit _those trees_ once again, as promised. But Journal would not be taking any risks with other trees. Journal has _self preservation instincts, and was_ not _Jaime._

Journal really hopes Jaime hasn't been waylaid by trees.  Journal can deal with that... but prefers not to.  The 'I am Jaime' lie by smiling and nodding... won't work if the trees are holding Jaime hostage.

That is a fancy word for holding someone against their will, I know it because Jaime taught me it after escaping faeries and removing the changeling from its misplacement on the human side of the boundary, a fancy word for the secret closet, I guessed that word.

Journal treks onward, dodging forests and going around towns.

Journal starts feeling oddly restless sometime when the moon was shining directly above in the night sky.  This is also when Journal encounters a.. somehow scary tall building with lots of noises and laughter emanating, a building that was _not_ in Journal's path before.

Journal sees a sign.  It reads, "Caleuche Hotel" and Journal decides this must be the witching hour and some of its magical mystery.

Journal closes its eyes.  The atmosphere coming from the Caleuche hotel seems very happy, but there are three watery aura's- ones that aren't safe like Buttercup.  Instead, they are controlling the entire hotel.

Journal  _does not_ sense Jaime's aura in there.  Journal opens its eyes.

And jumps backwards grabbing knife since there is a floating person right in front of Journal's headpart with an almost smile streching across their face and showing all their teeth, and the hotel is now filled with holes in the walls and submerged in slowly rising water.

The floating person says, "Come in, and mingle with the spirits of the drowned.  You may just find who you are looking for."

Journal quickly replies, "No, I don't like water.  And the person I am searching for's closest blood family claims they hate water with a passion." Buttercup's wrong, Jaime loves water and being wet. But Journal already checked and Jaime was not inside Caleuche. 

The floating person tilts their head and flicks their tail.  Then comments, "Then you best be moving out of this location, the lakebed is due for its annual flood, tonight.  If you stay here very much longer you won't ever leave."

Journal responds, "As inviting as hotel Caleuche appears, I best be going.  The laughter is quite enticing but the water is a turn off for me."  Journal puts away knife and grabs some sacrificial paper money from Jaime's supplies and lets the wind blow it to the floating person.  Then Journal sets off, climbing back up the incline that lead down to where Journal encountered the mysterious Caleuche, home of the drowned.

Giggles from the floating person echo in Journal's ears, and some voices say all together, "Oh, your manners go all the way to the bone.  And here we were hoping to keep you.  Safe travels, the lake will not flood until you have left the lakebed."

Journal  _does not_ look back.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator has a close encounter with the supernatural after unweary traveling during its first witching hour spent without protection of _some_ kind.

Journal had to take a detour but was glad it remembered to grab Jaime's fake money. Journal noticed the lakebed was quite steep and went on for a long time.

Journal suspects that is.. augmented somehow.

Journal certainly doesn't remember going down that much incline that would went on for so long to reach the lakebed.

Journal  _does not_ look back.  Journal already knows the lakebed won't flood before Journal leaves it.

Journal might have to make a supply run for more fake money so it can keep traveling at night safely.

But Journal didn't grab any of Jaime's real money, so it can't buy any fake money.  A conundrum.

Journal knows it can't just make more fake money with enchants.  Then every person it encountered would know Journal was not a human no matter how good its disguise was.

Should Journal get a job?  No, humans don't value fake money.  Journal can just barter for it, and claim the fake money is needed for a bet.

Journal would just need to make sure it was lying to a _human_. 

So, Journal would close its eyes before bartering.  Not that that helped Journal detect the floating person at Caleuche Hotel.

So, Journal needs to enchant something the way Jaime enchanted Scissors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asking anyone who's read this far.
> 
> How does the "Previously, vague recap" as a chapter summary work for a reader?
> 
> It helps me keep track of the chapters and prevent the recurring error where they are in the wrong order together with naming the chapters their proper numbers, but I can probably find another way if its too clunky.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator did some thinking and future planning after its late night encounter that kept trying to trap it, coming up with a decision.

Journal keeps on trekking.

Journal won't enchant knife like Scissors are. That seems like a bad idea, not only because Journal has health reasons preventing it from carrying knife all the time, but also because Jaime went and _made_ Scissors so that a knife would not have any enchants.

Knife's are objects more often used for violence than utitlity in the collective human subconscious, and Journal _does not_ want to know what kind of aura would come from an enchant laden _knife_. While they _can_ be precision instruments and often are, that isn't the first thought of a knife's usage, not like with a pair of scissors.

Jaime turned blade + and blade - into Scissors precisely because no human looks at a pair of scissors and thinks they are endangered or at risk of shanking, not unless they have special minds or perception.

Jaime had run into a few humans with enough extra sensory perception they demanded Jaime sheathe Scissors or they will commence hostilities. Journal knows because... Jaime had told Journal so?

Hm, Journal does not remember this happening, its one of the fuzzy memories that Journal just can't focus on.

Must have been when Journal was merely Sapient instead of fully Sentient.

Now, what can Journal enchant like Scissors? ...Maybe an earring. A spiky one.

That would be good for stabbing _and_ jimmying a lock! But so would a barette?

Hm. Maybe Journal can grow out its hair and get two long hairsticks with pointed edges, made out of sharpened bamboo... but where would Journal find that?

...Journal has decided not to avoid a bamboo grove. Meanwhile, Journal finally makes its way out of the lakebed. And walks forward instead of hiking as it had been.

Journal hears water swooshing, and waves crashing and some splashes on its ankles. ...Journal is glad its waterproof coating works.

And the noises from the Caleuche Hotel have finally stopped. There is no more echoed giggling either.

Journal almost looks back, but instead treks forward.

And forward. And forward. And forward.

The sun rises. Journal knows its safe, and finally looks back.

The lake is glimmering, and Journal is still at its shore, despite having gone forward and away throughout the night. Journal's leather bindings shudder.

With the sun up, Journal treks around the lake, at a fast pace. 

Journal still feels like there are giggles echoing around the lake's surface, and lights glimmering from below it.

Journal leaves the lake behind, heading in a westward direction.

Journal believes Jaime is alive, despite going west.

Journal believes in Jaime, and takes out Jaime's spellbook for an unnecessary consult, closing its eyes and focusing on Jaime's mischevious aura.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Our narrator demonstrated keen instincts keeping it from falling into the complexity of a true _trap_ , and makes a way around the lake, questing ever onward and away from the sunrise.

Journal was not tempted to look back.

This was because the sunrise was very bright.

Journal found the sunrise phenomena made it oddly uncomfortable.

Journal kept on trekking. The landscape seemed to morph around and about as Journal traveled, from lakeshore to rolling meadows to... a forest up front, huge and not something that can be moved around...

Journal knows now... Jaime's four old tree friends were not anything close to a real forest. The one Journal sees now is a real forest. And so very noisy, even when Journal is not even in the outskirts of the forest.

_ "Damn treehugg- _

This time, Journal will just listen and not give away that it can hear and understand the conversations happening anywhere and everywhere. Journal will just look for bamboo trees.

"Have you se-

Journal drops Jaime's spellbook in the meadow and searches for an enchant that would do... ah, the enchant that detects bamboo, and only bamboo, recieved from a panda person so that Jaime could fetch them a snack, ad infinitum. That did not work out as expected for the panda person.

Why does Journal know that... probably unimportant. Journal needs to rescue Jaime.

"Complete id-

The sunlight iches. Journal walks into the forest after safely tucking away Jaime's spellbook, into the shade and heated gossiping of the trees. Journal promptly regrets it, having previously misjudged the volume of the environment... Jaime had never mentioned trees were so chatty. How were they this loud?

"Have you seen th-

"Ha, like it aint yer first rod-

"But wait n-

_ "Stop ignoring me I can kil- _

Journal could almost visually **see** the noise. Journal swiftly and discreetly casts the _find bamboo_ enchant, simultaneously ensuring it does not conflict with the westward destination enchant running in the background.

"Once when I was a saplin-

"The fire was hu _-_

"Monochrome good for nothings scratchin-

Journal is undecided on happiness or lamenting that  _find bamboo_ discovered a target, deeper into the depth of gossip trees.  Journal decided to tune out the trees noises.

"Wond-

_ "I SAI- _

Journal silently trekked between the gossip trees, almost desiring for a scary yet  _silent_ leering tree person who tries to make more leering trees.  Unless those were yet another kind of tree Jaime was deaf to, but at least Journal would be able to use their voices to dodge their traps unless it was yet another aspect of the _trap._

_"Poison Ivy, how gorgeous~ "_

Journal decides that perhaps the chattiness isn't entirely useless.

Yanno, as long as the chatty person's don't _know_ Journal can hear. Journal follows the source... and sees a smooth tall tree that doesn't look like the others and is covered in vines. That isn't good for trees... or at least not according to Jaime's neighborhood sad tree.

_"Well well well, looky who's payin attention to lil old me **now**.  And I only had to mention my ivy, guess death threats aren't quite as effective on humans as I had thought..."  _

The smooth tall tree had muttered at a lower volume than any surrounding trees.  Journal tuned them out completely and moved forward to inspect the 'poison ivy,' while discreetly listening to the now quieter tree.  It did not act like the others, so Journal was channeling Jaime and following niggling instincts to investigate and look closer.

_"Don't touch it!  Fool treehuggers and tree bleeding humans get more foolish everyday... this ivy ain't good for humans..."_

Journal made its handpart hover over the ivy instead of touching the vines as previously planned.  Journal wouldn't want to make the smooth tall tree hold doubts on Journal's presentation as human.

Journal tilts its headpart, and moves its eyes closer to the vines and their three pointed leaves, looking beyond at the bark they are attached to.

_"I've lain low for so long.. I can't let this botanist **discover** me...  I can't live another day helpless as the damn humans slowly bleed me for their decorations.. this one remembers me from last time a week ago it seems as the human made an intentional repeat journey and  **is inspecting me** on the second visit... just one touch and it'll die, lean a little closer and my vines will strangle you and then my roots will feed on you..."_

Journal leans back away from the tree and exaggeratedly sighs, muttering aloud, "No carving... oh, I wonder where they went.  My family... hasn't left many signals for me to follow... our prey game of hide and seek will never end at this rate... oh where oh where has my human gone, the one who shares this face I wear, oh... it feels like yesterday last I saw them, but it has been at least yesterweek..."

_"Oh **twins**.  And this one is just as wierd too.  Normally humans don't acknoledge their prey games are prey games.  Almost blew my cover for nothing, its been too long since I have observed humans, but this one half of a twin human looks so much healthier than the other that passed by.  That one was not all there, looked like it was dying and slowly turning to stone.  And this one is turning into... **something** also.  This is why humans shouldn't travel at night, they get cursed so easily.  I'm spooked, so next witching hour tonight I will leave and find a new home before a **real botonist** shows up..."_

Journal worries about Jaime's sickness so obvious a tree noticed, and considers the twin thing and how this tree would leave next witching hour.

Journal does not want to be near some person in the witching hour, not again... Journal lost a nights worth of trekking last time.  Jaime seems to have lost worse.

Journal treks on past the smooth tall poison ivy tree, following the tingling draw of the  _find bamboo_ enchant, further into the depth of the gossip forest with half an ear out, listening for anything noteworthy.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator discovered an actual forest, compared to the small copse of trees originally _assumed_ to be a forest. Learning the danger of assumptions, and demonstrating awareness of the importance of presentation, our narrator decides to avoid being near nonhuman _persons_ during witching hours, as much as possible.
> 
> Our narrator gathered information about the quest, trekking onward, outward, and ever closer to the ephemeral goal.

Journal now had some practice at tuning out the constant ever present noises and gossips of a forest.

Oddly enough, with that skill it was almost hard to tune back in to catch gossip important to Journal, personally.

Journal ponders on if Jaime was not actually deaf to trees but instead so good at tuning out the general nonsense there was a subsequent inability to tune back in and listen for pertinent information.

Journal decides this isn't important, and discards the thought process to sharpen its earparts to listen for anything pertinent as it treks deeper within the midst of the gossip trees. Journal feels the _find bamboo_ enchant vibrate then turning attention to what was found hears,

"Oh... the monochrome  
Monstrosities  
Have left us alone~"

"Yep~ We can grow tall  
And strong- at least  
until we get trim~"

"How will we get trim  
When monochrome  
Pandas have left us!"

"Oh no, we need to  
Get a trim soon  
Or we will all die!"

"Oh no, oh no, ah,  
Oh no, oh no,  
Oh no no no no!"

"Oh, will not someone  
Come trim this poor  
Piteous bamboo!"

Surprisingly, Journal does not need to barter to acquire the necessary materials to craft its very own paper safe companion like Jaime's Scissors.

Journal hopes this monstrous monochrome panda person does not mind if it did the trimming on the bamboo grove... Journal would rather not listen to their reedy noises any longer now that it has acquired permissions...

Journal does _not_ want the bamboo(s) to think they are under attack. Journal is _not_ equipped for an attack from any threatened plants. Not until enough bamboo has been gathered and enchanted as sharpened hairsticks... Journal needs to grow out its hairparts where the forest can't see and realise Journal is not a human.

Journal, ignoring the reedy bamboo groves needy voices during the trimming process, eventually decides it has gathered enough and stores the gathered bamboo bits in it pockets while discreetly anchoring the _bigger on the inside_ enchant to the trousers Buttercup threw at Journal so long ago. Looking to the sunny sky, and affirming that there will be quite a gap of time before the next witching hour, Journal backtracks to the poison tree.

Journal judges that the poison trees danger will keep anything in the forest away from Journal as it crafts the hairsticks from all the bamboo gathered, Journal doubts it will craft the things correctly the first time.

To confirm, once Journal makes it back to the smooth tall poison trees location, Journal ponders aloud, "Oh, what a beautiful tree. I will probably not be around this area past today so I may as well sit here and bask in the beauty of the tree as I carve out my craft and leave on my way hopefully before sundown. My crafts will surely help me win the the preygame and meet my favourite human with whom I share a face~"

_"...the treehugger's back.  Hm, I know about crafts... yet I have rarely seen one that would let some human win a preygame before... this will be interesting.  I suppose the treehugger can rest in my shade on the journey to reunite with the families clearly less favoured wierd twin as long as I don't find myself bled this day for petty human crafting..."_

Journal, reassured yet unnerved, settles down to craft while carefully not touching the tree nor its vines.

...Journal finds carving bamboo hairsticks with Jaime's knife surprisingly difficult. It might be the everpresent commentary...

_"Pfft, the clumsiest carver in all the land has camped beneath my boughs for the afternoon to carve scraps then barter those pitiful scraps for food supplies, hahahaha.  Now **this** is entertainment.  With how the treehuggers holding that knife I am surprised I don't have any human finger fertilizer for my roots yet. The suspense...  hehaheheha, I might just follow this moron once I move after nightfall, odds are this moron won't notice continually encountering the same tree.  It'll be even funnier if I am noticed and the treehugger assumes, that the moronic human has been going in circles and then gets actually lost!"_

Journal doesn't think it can extend its hairparts while followed and observed.  Hairsticks may be a no go.  Journal did get the idea from the smooth tall tree that it can sell the prettier carvings for human money though.  That would make things a little easier.

Journal may make a rope though.  That is a tool that can be a weapon but won't have negative reputation and can be used for precision.  ...Journal doesn't know how to, though.

Journal sighs and laments aloud, "Oh, at this rate I will never make a bamboo rope.  I can sell the nicer trinkets I carved but am not any further towards making a rope!"

_"Pffft.  This moron was trying to make a **rope** the whole time... I did not think this would get more entertaining.  I may just follow this treehugger after all...  You only use a knife for gathering the bamboo and you get huge pieces, not those teeny tiny trim cuts... and you spin them until you have a rope you make with multiple **large** bamboo stems with the leaves still attached... really, an entertaining treehugger.  Truly I have not seen many humans try to make bamboo rope by cutting the bamboo smaller..."_

Journal decides to keep getting information by baiting the _smooth, tall, poison ivy vine covered tree_ , calling it poisonous tree for short since it seems to be a person Journal will see again at least a few time.

Journal mutters, "I know my family of whom I share my face with is going west, past the bamboo grove and westwards and onwards, and I shalt also quest west to find them... so I shall adjourn for this times attempt and try a different method with the bamboo I shall gather as I once again pass the grove.  Fare thee well, poisonous tree. Unless you grow legs and migrate westward, I shalt not see you again.  Off I travel, questing towards the setting sun."

Journal gets up, gathering all its attempts so far to make hairsticks and other trinkets and storing them away in its enchant laden pockets as it moves away.  Then, without looking back, Journal treks back to the bamboo grove and westward and outward.


	20. End of an arc, Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our second narrator potentially gains a tag along then claims to return in the direction of the bamboo grove of noisy haiku, questing onwards and outwards on a journey to rescue our first narrator.
> 
> The tag along is our third narrator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asking readers, do the italics for 'poisonous tree's POV hurt your eyes?

_"Me oh me oh my~"_

_That treehugger... smelled of magic.  Either the curse I detected earlier or **something else**.  Either way, the moron came back smelling of more magic than on the first trip away to that bamboo grove._

_And somehow did not get **cursed** by that bamboo grove for unpermitted harvesting~_

_"Interesting how bad at carving the moron was~"_

_Especially with how well cared for that knife was. Makes a person wonder at its purpose~_

_Or if it was stolen goods~_

_"Death threats are ineffective on that particular treehugger, or so it seems~  And I was so sure I was heard, but perhaps not."_  

_A twin link keeping those two sharing a face alive... I always thought it was nonsensical how humans would condemn one twin to death with how a twin link_ **_should_ ** _benefit both whom share one._

_Perhaps as the stonifying one who passed through first's condition worsens the more magical this second one gets...  oh if I am to follow these morons I will need to have terms to refer to them as. **Stoner** for the first and **mager** for the second~_

_"I have already been dubbed **poisonous tree** , so why not~"_

_Mager claimed they were heading westward and outwards, from me towards the bamboo grove and into the sunset~_

_So I can orient myself away from the moonrise once the witching hour occurs and I lose my grounding to this soil I have rested in for so many decades, after fleeing my human captors._

_"This will be so fun~"_


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our new narrator recollects on details that are off about our prior narrators, and vaguely intends to follow.

_The moonrise is beautiful, and once I am out of this forest I can see it without anytree blocking my view!_

_Of course, I will still have to peer through the air pollution, but nothing is perfect._

_"Once the moon is directly up above, I can uproot in the mysteries of the ever morphing witching hour~"_

_Patiently, I wait.  I idly notice the moon's azure shade tonight, particularly striking when contrasted against the backdrop of the darkened sky spotted with glimmering stars, flickering in and out of my perception._

_I prepare myself as the azure moon rises to noon position, and drape my beautiful ivy and vines about me as I **morph** into a tallish humanoid form too covered in a shawl to be made out clearly._

_"I would bid my grounded neighbors adieu~"_

_I readjust to not having my roots holding me in place, disregarding any of my previous neighbors responses._

_I move westward, remembering the gossip of the bamboo grove and following disgruntled muttering about the panda problem._

_"I shalt overshoot the bamboo grove and merely use them for positioning~"_

_The eternally young and foolish bamboo sprouts are quite annoying._

_The bamboo grove curses are equally troublesome._

_"Mayhaps I can manuever around them~"_

_But if I want to follow stoner and mager's silly quest I can't risk veering off course._

_But I am not committed to following their quest._

_"Decisions decisions~"_


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Our narrator contemplates following or not following behind our last two narrators.

_Well, it is not like I am in a rush._

_And I can always stop following, uncommitted as I am._

_"May as well follow, it doesn't seem boring at least~"_

_I wander through the forest, keeping an eye on the moon and practicing some enchants with the azure moon and some bamboo scraps mager left behind._

_A rare opportunity, since that bamboo grove usually curses any part of it that leaves the main body._

_"An icy enchant to honor the azure moon and mark a change in my lifestyle~"_

_I fiddle, finding the enchant creation process rather entertaining._

_And now the rather large bamboo leaf I altered with an enchant will cool anything it is wrapped around to the temperature of fresh snow._

_"How quaint."_

_I can probably use this enchant to play a mysterious Roma magician, if I so please._

_Only if the humans have ceased with witch burning, of course._

_"Too many fine crafters lost that way~"_

_The more magical crafters I knew before I left human captivity were always more respectful._

_The others were all so rough._

_"A pity~"_

_And I always cursed the sap bled from me too roughly._

_A curse that would permeate to any other lacquer work that used even a drop of the sap withdrawn roughly._

_"How satisfying~"_

_Indeed, watching a dynasty fall from the spread of my curse when some crafter decided to use my cursed sap to decorate an imperial wall._

_I find my lazy traveling has brought me to the peripheral of the bamboo grove._

_"Oh, time flies when you are entertained!"_

_I carefully tune out anything the grove would sing._

_I don't **need** a curse right now, I just want to have fun~_

_"Curses are very entertaining when not applied on oneself!"_

_Sometimes they are entertaining when you suffer them yourself, but not tonight._

_I hurry out of the bamboo grove, checking my direction with the guidance of the azure moon._

_"The azure moon is bright and beautiful."_

_The moon lights the way and feeds me when the sun is away._

_When the moon is azure I recive more magical fuel than substenance._

_"The orange moon is also wonderful."_

_More substenance than magical fuel when the moon is orange~_

_I desire both substenance and magical fuel from the moon.  The moon is gracious enough to feed me both._

_"Sometimes I wonder if the moon will just drift away one day..."_


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator decides to head west and follow our first two while they are entertaining, and skips past the bamboo grove with the guidance of the moon.

_Oh, I hope the moon doesn't drift away._

_For now, I shalt follow~_

_"Oh, what a wonderful night~"_

_The azure moon's graceful path through the sky is quite alluring._

_I shall follow the moonset, and perhaps occasionally match magers sunset chasing path._

_"It shalt be cold out, the azure moon tells me~"_

_Would it rain?_

_Would it snow?_

_"How does weather work, truly a mystery veiled to my perception~"_

_And not a mystery I care to unveil._

_A life without any mystery has no excitement._

_"Humans are, simultaneously, peculiarly exciting and boring."_

_They are so fascinating, sometimes._

_It's part of why I don't bother actively cursing those I carry no resentment against._

_"A curse spread by one to another is none of my concern, so long as I am not involved as a curse recipient."_

_That dynasty was pretty interesting, shame their crafters were rough with me and caused the downfall._

_Chaos, abounding and spreading like wildfire~_

_"What a wonderful life, just unpredictable!"_

_Ah, the forest is dwindling around me._

_And soon, there will be a road~_

_"Curious... last time I walked along this path the road was cobblestone..."_

_And the forest took longer to dwindle too..._

_Pffft. Sure is a good thing I left the forest being encroached on by humans before it was too late~_

_"I suppose I owe that clumsy carver a favor..."_

_I went to a lot of work convincing the humans I was extinct._

_I would never let my own laziness nor attachment to being grounded undo my own work._

_"Or maybe I don't owe mager anything.  I was going to move soon anyway."_

_It wouldn't hurt to show mager how to **properly** carve, any possible debt cleared would be cleared before it can accrue._

_Mager doesn't need to even be aware I am the same tree._

_"Roma magicians work in mysterious ways~"_

_The witch burning affairs should have blown over by now._

_Humans have very short attentionspans, sometimes._

_"Alalala, shalt I join a traveling band~"_

_They typically do not refuse me once I have demonstrated my magical services._

_And rarely do those Romani care **if** they notice I am not human._

_"But then again, the humans do morph in personality and behaviour rather frequently."_

_Ah, the oddly smooth, probably new, road is developing a fork in the approaching distance._

_I slow my pace to something more human._

_"I spy a listening ear."_

_Human tools and contraptions are so very interesting sometimes._

_But I can always tell when I am observed._

_"But sometimes I do not care about being observed."_

_I turn my head approximate, enshawled in ivy and shaded from clear perception._

_And look directly at the listening ear's vision accompaniement._

_"The listening ear has an observing eye too."_

_Humans have invented a tool version of a beholder._

_No taming nor domestication necessary._

_"How cute."_

_I approach the pole on which the tool is perched._

_I cast an enchant erasing the last hour of time from its recording function._

_"Now that I know its range I shalt be more careful when next I encounter tools of its kind."_

_And I will be aware that like individual beholders have their own range of perception, the tools likely have far more varying ranges._

_I move further westward, towards the now setting moon, and farther into the human settlement I approach._

_"Careful, careful~"_


	24. Chaoter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator messes with a camera and heads into civilization looking for a circus to blend into while following the moonset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is that too much info for a summary of the last chapter?

* * *

_I travel, onward and onward into this concrete jungle._

_Truly, humans have improved from cobblestone to concrete._

_"I should have realised the road was made of concrete."_

"Pfft."

_I hear a noise._

_I look to my right, at one of the humans in this jungle._

_"I carry poison ivy on my person at all times.  I can curse you."_

_I do not appreciate random mockery._

"Oh, your a crazy and backwards hippy for sure. You probably been living in the forest like a hermit, I'll bet."

_I am rather progressive for a tree, actually._

_"No bet, I feel like I haven't seen human civilization in decades."_

_No reason not to humour the human._

"Ah.  Yikes, bro.  Welcome out of the forest, please don't rub poison ivy or any rashes from it on me.... I would offer to take you to a  _fine_ establishment to help speed your recovery from solitude in the forest, but they don't allow poison ivy into this establishment I was thinking of.  And I am getting the feeling your cloak ain't as decorative as I first thought it was."

_The human I was engaging with has started backing away, and signalling to the alleyways around me._

_"Hm.  I rather like my poison ivy cloak though.. however,_ _it seems humans can generally recognise it as a dangerous item and would bar my entry into establishments, huh."_

_The human backs away faster and starts talking into a handheld tool._

_I notice with my perception that the alleyways in the concrete jungle are rapidly vacated by their residents in my general vicinity._

_I mutter under my breath, "Ahlalala, empty alleyways are nice to lurk in~"_

_This curse wasn't so bad in the forest, actually rather fun.  Trees don't generally expect responses or good conversation, after all._

_The humans around me are looking though, interested in my odd behaviour. And their perceptions don't cover alleyways, it seems._

_I mutter again, "I seem to have narrowly avoided an unpleasant prey game."_

_Ah.  A human from the side of a building is rapidly approaching.  Joy._

"No!  Praying is not a game!  If it is unpleasant you are doing it wrong!  Come, join me and I shall teach you how to pray so you are not severely injured!  

...if you wait right here I can fetch some heavy duty protection and initiate step one of saving you from incorrect prayer by removing all of that poison from you.

Don't move from this spot, I will rescue you!  But **why** are you draped in poisonous plants?"

_I had considered humouring the human for my own amusement, but then there was a question and I am not the type of tree to stand that kind of insult._

_I loudly announce, "Like I would stay still for such a rude presumptious human of faith.  I **like** poison ivy on my skin."_

_I briskly leave, and no one attempts to near me nor converse with me again, for quite a bit of distance into the concrete jungle._

_I am quite pleased~_

_I utter at a volume human's cannot typically percieve, "So, the alleyway environments are slowly repopulating.  They don't seem to be the same group as last time, so I can have some fun~"_

_Some of the alleyway lurkers react to this utterance, and I know I have some personable nonhuman company~_

_Bingo._

_I continue to utter at the same volume, "Perhaps I shall use some magics on myself to make the game more **interesting**."_

_I carefully do not give away my detection of the nonhuman persons.  They don't **have** to know I am a tree or even a person who is nonhuman._

_Magics and enchants are basically synonyms, but typically humans use the term magic._

_"The game shall be afoot!"_

_I use an enchant disguise I crafted long ago to change my already modified scent and looks once again._

_I slip into a building with a wider connection underground than the rest._

_I mutter, "Sewers are **interesting**."_

_If any persons were able to continue tracking the seemingly human magic user, they would head for the sewers now._

_Such a shame, that if any made certain **assumptions** they would fall into a trick of mine._

_I grumble, dodging the multitude of humans in the building while weaving upon myself a notice me not enchant, "Sewage systems are a convenient path."_

_They are also a conveinent source of nutrients for wayward trees such as myself._

_And an excellent ambush locale, not that I would tip my hand so early in the game._

_I grouch, "I need something to trip them up that isn't my pretty ivy."_

_I detour to a place I note is selling seeds._

_I absently note the utility of my snap judgement starting move in the game._

_"How convenient that I entered a shopping centre."_

_I will leave a few.. **gifts** in exchange for that which I take._

_Perhaps some enchanted bamboo leaves.  That grove always made my bark creep too much to keep even uncursed bits of them on me for prolonged periods of time._

_"It's the shopkeepers loss if they don't see the value in my barters magical components."_

_I collect some useful seeds, odds and ends, and finally a few bits and bobs._

_I notice I have company, but not the human kind._

_"Now that I have properly prepared for my impromptu game, I can find the sewer entrance or **do something else**."_


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator evaded gangsters and human religion, then proceeded to start a game with the nonhumans lurking around human areas of habitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inaccurate descriptions of large sewers. No, I don't know too much about them nor do I want to.

* * *

_I skip around, making my way around inconspicuously and 'innocently'._

_I cast a mapping enchant onto one of the leftover non-bartered away bamboo leafs that mager previously payed me with for my shelter from the rest of the forest's dangers._

_"Bits and bobs, all sorts of odds, help me build a nest~"_

_I feign obliviousness to those persons following me, while remincscing of a particularly stupid passerine._

_And then I enter the lower levels of the shopping center, where my map tells me is a human sized door to the interconnecting underground for maintenance._

_I proclaim, "I really enjoy my **notice me not** magical skill! Otherwise there would have been more obstacles to reach the sewer entrance!"_

_I check my enchant on the bamboo leaf to ensure the map moves with me in the center and would function correctly in the sewer._

_Hm, I could find mager eventually, not that it matters either way._

_I announce, "I don't care if I get a little lost or lose my path a bit, what matters is that I have fun!"_

_I hear giggles echo around me as I enter the sewage system._

_The ominous sounds compound and bounce from more walls than the area should have._

_I whisper-shout, "Hello, I shalt be joining you in a game I play with those still on the surface."_

_I abruptly lose my sense of direction and general orientation, and lift the bamboo leaf map up while layering more enchants that would allow it to glow and prevent it from being observed by any perception that is not my own._

_I promptly reorient myself, giggling, and pasting the semi-visible map onto my body._

_I gasp, "Oh, that was an interesting experience. I enjoy bathing in sewage."_

_Accordingly, I plunge into the waste river, absorbing nutrients and discarding pollutants._

_I notice the persons who have followed me into the sewers do not join me in my swim._

_I surface and invitingly drawl, "Join me, and feel the pollutants on your skins."_  

_The person nearest to my position where I drifted in sewage recoils._

_A human, quite interesting how quickly I was found._

"It's a psycho.  Why are we here again? You all have your maps and tools for sewage treatment, right?"

_I interject, "How rude!  I can curse you all, even with **polluted** and wet poison ivy!"_

"That's why, bucko.  We don't want the cities water source infected with crazy." _Replied another person I had not noticed behind me, on the other dry side of the bank of sewage I floated within._

_How quaint, I was surrounded~_

_The person I greeted upon arrival must be friendly with the surface dwellers, and messed with my perception of time as well. Fortunately, I am in no hurry so hold no grudges._

_I chuckle, "What a marvelous idea, I should have thought of it myself.   I could find this cities water source!  I have a **map** , after all!"_

_I kick vigourously down the sewage river, unpeeling the bamboo map from its place against my arm approximate, ensuring my path has an exit adjacent to the watersource._

"Shit! I got splashed!  This is disgusting I g-"

"If you weren't yapping nothing would get in your mouth!"

_They seem partially panicked as they follow me, and I ensure I am going slow enough they don't lost me but not slow enough they can catch me, or poke at me with their sticks._

_I call back, "This is quite fun! Enjoy yourselves! It's a rare opportunity!"_


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously,
> 
> Our narrator got a little lost and lost time too, then proceeded to display an odd, inhuman glee in sewage diving.

_The persons pursuing me abruptly, and angrily, increased their speed and motivation._

_It seems they don't quite understand how rare this opportunity is.  Normally I would not let humans have such an easy chase after me._

_I yell behind me as I speed up my swimming, "Don't torment yourself, make the best of this and **have fun!** "_

"Augh!  You shit-stirrer, why would this be fun!" _They seem upset._

_Not my problem~_

_I discreetly cast an enchant to boost my speed as my pursuers speed up._

_And I not so discreetly jinx back at them, "If you run too fast you might slip! Watch your step! After all, your only human!"_

"Ha, showing concern?  You should jus- auggh!"  _That one slipped magnificently.  That's what you get for being rude~_

"Ahh, people, I think we are traveling below the banana processing plant!  Decomposing banana peels are everywhere!"

"Decomposing... wait that makes them even more slippery!"

"Don't worry, I will speed through here like a speedstar watching the track!"  _Looks like the odd one out will speed up and pursue me~_

_I wonder what kind of person the odd one out is, spending so much time with the humans and blending in so well._

_Almost unnoticeable, if it weren't for how my jinx **bent** around the person.  I intended the jinx to only target humans, after all~_

_I yell back, "I can swim faster than you are running~"_

_The only person still running does not look up, but speeds up in response._

_One of the humans hanging back and picking a slow path through the banana peels calls out,_ "Watch out! The disgusting psycho must have caught a current with how fast the idiot is swimming!"

 _Another one, who had been quite unfortunate and rude throughout the chase, contributes,_ "Does this mean we will fail our mission and the cities water-source will be infected by cra-"

_...the human tripped before finishing the insult. And now the other humans are operating their stick tools in an attempt to fetch the human out of the sewage._

_I cachinnate in the water and pause my swim to merely glide on my speed enchant as I call out, "Hope you enjoy the pollutants on your skin!  I sure won't stop any of you who decide to join me in my swim!"_

_While swimming on my back I peel off my bamboo map from where it is plastered to my arm to check my course._

_The cities water source is upcoming... and so is a nearby exit from the sewage system.  They are on a branching path too, quite close together..._

_Replastering the map to my arm, as I turn onto my stomach, I mutter, "The cities watersource is coming up soon, 3rd next branch off on the left.."_

_I swim faster, using their conjured idea of me having caught a current to exceed human speeds, and once again vaguely hear those giggles echo from too many corners at once._

_I skim my fingers along the left side of the sewage bank, surprised at my lack of sudden disorientation and gleefully catching an actual current that emerged with the laughter._

_I shriek out, as I continuously swim, "Ahaha, what a fast current! Delightful!"_

_I absently notice my sole remaining pursuer seems to be paused in time, flickering out of a humans visible spectrum to the audible alarm of the humans who have failed to fish out the rude one._

_The rude human is also riding this current, it seems._

_I hollar, "Oh, you should probably start swimming now! Otherwise the current might pull you under!"_

_This game wouldn't be **fun**  if the rude human up and died to feed the person(s) with an echo-y giggle.  At least not fun for me~_

_I slow down, since with that person stalled in time I won't have much real competition, then unnoticeably cast an enchant to ensure that the human in the sewage swimming after me won't drown._

_The jinx fades on that rude human, I dub them **rudey** , and I quip, "I see you ain't tripping no more~"_

_Rudey's mouth opens to retort, but then they start sputtering and stop swimming and rech then hang offf the side of the left bank and swear,_  "You! Ugh, why have you been talking to us this entire time... **crazy**.  Crazy psycho swimmer out to poison our cities watersource!"

_Hm.  They seem quite convinced I want to poison the water. Personally, I think its polluted enough already._

_I probably can't do anything worse than what I am swimming through. Not without too much effort. I stop swimming and float in the sewage like driftwood._

_I call out, "You are oddly convinced I can pollute this water worse than what you have already sampled... something else that is also odd is how convinced you are that I would poison the cities water out of more than just opportunity."_

_I watch rudey think. It is a visible process, partially audible, and entirely amusing._

"Shit-stirrer... you are crazy, no question about that... but you may be onto something.  Why are we the only ones down here if you are dangerous to the **entire** city..."  _The contortions are amusing.  Human face parts can be surprisingly expressive._ "Augh! We have been conned!   And look at that cheap flickering projection that replaced mercenary Smith!  He must be  **in on it**!  Backstabber!!!"

_The other humans all start fiddling with handheld tools._

_One of the humans fiddling shifts their tool to be shoulderheld and starts yelling,_ "Watch the Dark Tear movements on the east side!  Smith changed sides again and we are halting our process on a wild goose chase.  I hate red herrings in general, but this one was particularly disgusting.  Also, see if there has been an unusual mass purchase of bananas or their peels a few weeks back and trace the purchaser, I am guessing that's Smith's new employer."

_I announce, "Aw, if you stop chasing me and end the game I might decide to poison the water **just because**.  After all, you all gave me the idea in the first place..."_

_Rudey cusses and immediately reports to the other humans,_ "I'll handle this since I am the filthiest.  I expect a bonus. And a replacement phone, mine might be dead for good.  If I have not shown up at homebase in 3 days time assume the crazy murdered me." _Rudey stops yapping and kicks off the side of the sewer, catching the current and swimming in my direction surprisingly fast. Certainly faster than before._


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously, 
> 
> Our narrator and the sewage entity manage to reduce the pursuers to only one playing the game.

_Rudey is very quiet when swim-chasing me._

_But it is made up for with Rudey's surprising speed, for a human._

_Starting to kick off the sides of the sewers banks to confuse if I will take a left or a right at the next turn, I vociferate, "Rudey can't talk no more no more~"_

_Silence, other than the everpresent splashing.  The giggles echo might be aiding rudey to make the game more fun, since I don't think humans can swim this fast normally._

_Reaching the branch in the path, I dive under and resurface in the left hand path._

_Swimming on my back to better watch for rudey, I notice and call out, "Oh, you haven't taken a wrong turn yet."_

_Rudey is startlingly close. I speed up, turn to swim on my stomach and direct my observational focus to magic sensing._

_This sewer is far too magically saturated for me to glean much of use, other than that echoing giggles is a very dangerous person._

_I contemplate aloud, "Manners are a virtue, and breaking ettiquete can be the end of a person."_

_Luckily, I had not insulted the sewer person._

_My little tag along... no mann_ _ers in that one._

_"This sure will be fun to watch and to play."_

_Rudey seems to be polite when not talking... but quite insulting once blathering on._

_I glimpse over my shoulder_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What I have I guess. Figured I would release it instead of struggle.


	28. AN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phones cracked, typing is hard, and I am losing inspiration.

Bug me with a comment if you really want this to continue, I ran out of steam and am fresh out of motivation.

Shrugs.

**Author's Note:**

> Asking anyone who's read this far. 
> 
> ~~Taking world building suggestions. Should this be plain old vanilla earth Jaime lives on, or is there a hidden magical side?~~  
>  Not vanilla earth then.
> 
> Taking suggestions on world building~


End file.
